Summer Change
by Rudes215
Summary: Callie and Arizona meet the summer before med school when both are in need of some changes.
1. Caught By Surprise

**Obviously most characters belong to Grey's Anatomy. I've never written one of these before, just recently decided to try it for fun and see how it goes. I figured, why not put it up? I'm new at this, so I welcome any feedback. I'm not completely sure where it's going to go yet, and this first chapter especially was just me writing as inspiration struck. I rated it M to be safe for where I take it and the language I know I may use. **

* * *

"Oh, there she is!" Teddy smacked Callie on the arm as she stood on her tip toes and waved through the crowd.

Callie had no idea how she had been suckered into accompanying Teddy to pick up her friend. Well, actually, she knew exactly how: her terrible rock, paper, scissor skills were to blame for her current position on the train platform with Teddy. Mark suggested the game when neither of them had responded to Teddy's request for company. And Callie, unfortunately, had lost. So here she was, with Teddy, on the first day of their break, picking up her friend who was transferring to Harvard for med school in the fall. Callie had wanted to spend her first day of break with her boyfriend, but he had gone on a last minute lake trip with some of his fraternity brothers. Without even telling her. Sometimes she wondered why she ever went back to men in the first place.

Just as that thought crossed Callie's mind, she felt someone walk up to where she and Teddy were standing. Looking up, Callie immediately lost track of any thoughts in her head as her eyes were met with the bluest ones she had ever seen. A chill shot down her spine and her stomach flipped as she took in the perfectly dimpled face of the blonde woman in front of her.

"Earth to Cal!" Teddy's voice quickly snapped her out of her daze and she noticed that not only had she been staring at the beautiful blonde, but had also allowed her mouth to hang slightly open while doing so. She realized, however, catching a glimpse of the woman's expression that she hadn't seemed to of minded. She almost looked as if to be gawking right back, Callie noticed before feeling a rush of heat rise to her cheeks as she thrust her hand forward at the woman who was now biting her lip at her slightly. No, she _must_ be imagining that. '_Get it together and say something already!'_

"Hi, I'm Callie! Torres...Callie Torres. Sorry, my mind was completely somewhere else for a second..." She kicked the ground with her foot, trying to hide her obvious embarrassment and avoid the side-eyed "you're acting crazy" look she knew she was getting from Teddy. Neither of which seemed to matter as a soft hand slid into her own, stilling her arm and causing her to become suddenly _very_ aware of her heart pounding in her chest. Callie could honestly say she had never felt so completely flustered by a person she had just only met. She couldn't really help herself, as soon as her eyes had met those bright, deep, blue ones. Something about just this woman's presence set Callie on edge, but in the best way possible.

"Arizona...Robbins..."

_'What a name!...stop it, don't stare again...'_

"Nice to meet you," her dimpled smile widened into a genuine grin that made Callie weak in the knees. "And don't worry, my mind is somewhere else more often times than not, you're not alone, I'm right there with you."

Callie felt her own smile widen at the other woman's words. A small laughed escaped her lips as she realized she was still holding the soft pale hand of the blonde in her own tan fingers. Releasing it with an apologetic nod, she opened her mouth to say more, but was quickly cut off by the jarring sound of her cell phone going off in her back pocket. Pulling it out, Callie could see her boyfriend Chris was calling her.

"Sorry, let me just take this real quick..." and with that she turned away from Arizona so she could find an area less crowded to hear whatever it was her boyfriend was sure to be complaining about. He wouldn't call her from a trip unless he had something to bitch about. It was moments like this Callie really wondered why she was with him. Sure, he was fun, but he really had no substance. Maybe that's exactly what Callie had wanted at the time when they began dating six months ago, but she felt like she had run her course with Chris. They didn't have much in common, and they didn't even have the same friends. His were too wild and, if she was being honest, dumb, to interest her. Chris had never shown any interest in getting to know Callie's friends, and she never really felt the need to push the issue. That right there was enough to tell her what kind of relationship they had. It was definitely time for a change.

"Hey babe..."

* * *

Arizona stepped off the train with a huff. The ride from Colombia had been annoying. _'Sure, take the train' _she thought. _'A plane from New York would be silly'_ she said. Well, she, Arizona Robbins, was an idiot sometimes. With the price being roughly the same, she decided right then and there that she would never chose train over plane ever again. Truth be told, she really had decided halfway through her trip, either way, technicalities aside, the decision had been made. She didn't think anyone had ever been so excited to be in Boston. Hell, someone'd be hard pressed to find anyone more excited to be _anywhere_ than she was to be in Boston right now.

After finding her bags in what had to be the slowest moving luggage carousel known to man, Arizona made her way up and out of the train terminal and breathed in what felt like the first bit of fresh air her lungs had seen in hours. She was _so_ done with this trip. She was done with the train, done with travel in general, done with New York, ready to start something new. Trying to keep her terrible mood at bay since Teddy had texted her to let her know she had a friend with her, Arizona looked around to see where they were. Spotting her taller blonde friend waving over the mass of people, she began to make her way over to where she stood. Next to her friend stood someone she couldn't quite make out in the crowd except for a head full of beautiful raven-black, long, flowing hair. As she got closer, she began to see that that beautiful hair cascaded down the perfect chest of what _had _to be _the_ most stunning Latina woman Arizona had ever laid her eyes on. Correction: she had to be the most stunning _woman_ Arizona had ever seen, Latina or otherwise. Her eyes landed on dangerously full lips as the chocolate eyed sex on a stick woman lifted her head to look up. The way those lips hung slightly open almost made Arizona lick her own in response. The only thing that stopped her was Teddy patting her on the shoulder as she was introduced. At least that's what Arizona assumed Teddy was doing because she wasn't listening at all. Why was the brown eyed beauty staring at her like that? No, she couldn't be, Arizona must have just been tired from her journey.

_'Still though...'_ she thought as she looked into those brown eyes that seemed to have changed to a darker color in the past couple of seconds. It was all she could do to hold back her lip licking and instead opted to just bite her lip instead as she saw the gorgeous woman in front of her offer her hand. She had to hold her breath while taking the tan hand as all of the warmth from the Latina's palm seemed to spread over Arizona's entire body, landing deep in the pit of her gut.

As the woman, Callie, _'I wonder if that's short for something...stop..focus,' _explained her mind wandering, Arizona responded in kind, but was really just trying to focus on not staring at those mind blowing, deliciously tantalizing lips. She felt a jolt as the Latina finally let go of her hand. To be perfectly honest, Arizona hadn't even realized they were still touching, but immediately felt something missing when they were no longer doing so. Waiting for what Callie might say next, she felt her heart sink when the other woman's phone began to go off. It jumped right back up into her throat however, upon the brunette turning around and revealing to Arizona how utterly _perfect_ her ass looked in the black jeans she was wearing.

"Ooookay, I'm going to _have_ to ask that you _at least_ say hello to me before you go gawking at my friend's ass, Arizona. I know she's gorgeous and all, but I _have_ been your best friend for some years now, and I _did _just come and pick you up at the train station...and then, ya know, there's the whole thing of me bringing my hot, hot friend for you to _SHAMELESSLY _gawk at!" Teddy nudged Arizona in the side and waved her hand in her face upon realizing her words were going to make no difference at all in the shorter blonde's mission to burn the Latina's pants off with her eyes.

Snapping back into reality, Arizona laughed and hugged her friend tightly. "I'm sorry Teddy, obviously I'm so so grateful and over the moon to see you! But I will say, you should have known what you were doing bringing a woman who looks like _that_ with you to pick me up. I mean, I know you're not gay, but geeze, she is just _not fair_." She stole another glance at the tanned bombshell who now seemed to be arguing with someone on the phone.

"Yeah, well you may have that one right, because I can bet you any amount of money that the person she is arguing with on the phone right now is her jerk boyfriend."

_'So she wasn't staring at me..'_ Arizona thought with a pout. Of course the hottest woman she had ever seen, who also happened to be her best friend's friend, was straight. She looked up at her taller friend and squinted her eyes, placing both hands on her hips.

"So you mean to tell me, that not _only_ did you bring a drop dead gorgeous friend with you to pick me up, but said friend is _also_ straight?! Mean, Teddy. Mean," she said with a shake of her head. Not that she was presuming anything with the sexy lady, but she would be lying if she said the word 'boyfriend' hadn't felt like a punch to the stomach for some reason. She looked down at her feet for a moment to try and hide her disappointment from her friend.

"Whoa whoa whoa, who said anything about her being straight?"

Arizona's eyes shot back up at this remark, "But you just..."

"I said she has a boyfriend at the moment. A jerk of one to be exact. And not to lay my friend's laundry on the line before you get to know her, but the way _she _was staring at _you_, combined with my complete and _utter_ distaste for her current matchup, I'll give you some intel." Arizona leaned in at this, ready to hang on Teddy's every word. "She's had two past girlfriends...that I know of. One that I'm thinking was just for fun our freshman year, and one who completely crushed her before she ended up with the guy she's with now. Obviously everyone has randoms in-between." Teddy smirked and glanced down at her friend on the word random, clearly hinting at Arizona's own history of avoiding commitment. Rolling her eyes, Arizona urged Teddy to continue by poking her arm. "You get no more info about her past from me, but friend to friend, her boyfriend is _so_ beneath her, it's not even funny, so all I'm saying is don't go pouting about it just yet."

Arizona had no idea why, but she suddenly felt incredibly excited. She didn't even know this woman, but just something about her made Arizona feel like a teenager again. She linked arms with Teddy and rested her head on her shoulder with a sigh "Oh, Teddy how could I possibly have anything to pout about when we are about to live in the same town and go to school together again? Medical school at that!" She could hardly contain her excitement.

"Yeah, it's going to be pretty great. I'm so happy you're finally here! And I'm so glad you decided to come for the summer so we can actually have free time to catch up and for you to get to know Boston and all of the great people here." Teddy squeezed their arms tighter.

"I just know it's going to be awesome. New town, new school, new people. Some of them unbelievably sexy apparently..." she said with a wink and a smile. A smile that faded as she heard the unbelievable sexy _voice _of the unbelievably sexy friend she had just been talking about from behind them as she had apparently finished her phone conversation without them noticing.

"Who's unbelievably sexy?" Callie had hung up on Chris when she had heard enough of his bitching and returned to stand behind the two blondes. Hearing the very end of their conversation, the brunette just had to know _who _the unbelievably sexy blonde _found _unbelievably sexy.

Both blondes turned, Arizona's face was bright red and Teddy's was plastered with the biggest of smirks as she shoved her elbow into Arizona's ribs, "_Yeeeah_, tell her Robbins..._who _is unbelievably sexy?"

Blue eyes met hopeful brown ones. Callie had a slight feeling (wishful thinking) who Arizona had been talking about. She could feel Teddy looking between them in anticipation. Knowing both women very well separately, Teddy was beyond amused watching them interact with each other in such a way. She had _definitely_ never seen _either_ woman the least bit shy or thrown off her game, and watching as _both_ of them struggled had her twisted with internal giggles.

Arizona stood, looking into the most interesting brown eyes she'd ever seen. She never really gave brown eyes much notice before, but the way the afternoon sunlight was hitting the chocolate orbs facing her had her completely captivated, and she thought, '_what the hell_.' Teddy had basically just given her an invitation to hit on her friend despite the boyfriend, and this being the first time she's ever even met Callie, that was good enough for her. So she took a step forward towards the waiting Latina.

Callie felt her breath hitch as the blonde moved closer. She could smell the sweet scent of Arizona's shampoo coming off of those soft blonde waves that fell just beyond her shoulders. She couldn't quite understand why, but in that moment, she desperately wanted to reach out and touch this woman she had only just met. She could have if she'd actually had the nerve to, the shorter woman had now moved so close to her, but all brain activity stopped with the words the blonde had moved closer to say.

"I think you know _exactly _who I was talking about..." And then she turned and continued to walk towards the train station exit leaving Callie standing with her mouth hanging completely open and Teddy laughing in amusement.

"What was _that_?! And _WHAT_ is so funny?" Callie smacked Teddy's arm, still a bit stunned.

"_That_, was Arizona Robbins. And you can close your mouth now." Teddy pinched her arm and followed Arizona, leaving Callie to think about what just happened. She had not been at all prepared for that. She wasn't even quite sure how she felt about it. All she knew was she needed to remember to thank Mark for kicking her ass at rock, paper, scissors this morning. She wasn't _quite_ sure what she would be thanking him _for_, but she had a feeling she would soon find out.


	2. Flustered

"I mean, how hot can she be?" Mark Sloan leaned against the bar counter in Callie's apartment, nursing a beer. After saying her goodbyes to Teddy and Arizona at Teddy's place, Callie had come home to find her best friend, already in her apartment, waiting to head down to the bar on the block where they usually hung out. She might have been irritated if she didn't have the extremely pressing need to discuss the happenings at the train station.

"Mark." Callie looked at him, as serious as she'd ever looked at anyone and just shook her head. There really were no words. She was just happy that Arizona and Teddy had so much of their own stuff to discuss on the short ride from the station, that they didn't really require her participation in the conversation.

"Oh, come on Cal. She can't have been _that_ hot. I mean, think about who you're talking to. Hell, think about who's talking? You are both one of the hottest women _I've _ever laid eyes on, but you've also _pulled_ some of the hottest women I've ever laid eyes on, and you're telling me this chick had you _flustered?_" The look of disbelief on his face would have been amusing if Callie hadn't known his words to be true. Not to toot her own horn, but she knew she was hot. And she knew she could pull hot people. But the way this _Arizona_ had looked at her, the way she had completely lost track of her thoughts upon looking at her was unlike anything Callie had ever experienced.

"I know, I know!_ I knooow _how this sounds. And while I thank you for that amaaaazing compliment," Mark nodded, slightly raising his beer to Callie, "I kid you not when I say to you, that _this_ woman, was something else. I don't even know how to explain it. It wasn't even just that she was hot, because I can't even really _begin_ to discuss alllll of that," She spun her head and twirled her hands in an attempt to convey just how overwhelmingly _beautiful_ this woman was, "It was just...just her Mark. Something about her. It just made me feel completely unhinged. It was bizarre."

"Aww, is Torres describing to me love at first sight?" Mark began to make fun of her predicament and she knew he would only keep going.

"Lexi Grey," was all she needed to say, and Mark was immediately silent. Lexi was the younger sister of one of his best friend's girlfriend and he had been smitten with her since the moment he laid eyes on her. She was a freshman and he had strict orders from his friend Derek to leave her alone. And so he had, to his own torture. But neither was expecting "Little Grey," as she was called, to make a move on him. And once she had, Mark could not keep away. He was currently avoiding his friend to keep from spilling the beans about his forbidden love, while they figured things out. "Yeah, that's what I thought."

"Well fine, if she's that great, then invite Teddy and Blue Eyes,"

"Arizona."

"Whatever...to come to Joe's tonight. Buy her some drinks, show off those amazing dance moves, and reel her in. If she's got _whatever_ it is that has you all...this," He used his hands to gesture to all of the Latina, "then that's _definitely _worth looking into."

"You're forgetting something Mark, I can't just go bedding sexy blonde women when I have a boyfriend who is at the lake this week. I am _not_ that kind of girl. I've been cheated on, and I will _never _be that person." This, she knew for sure. No matter how excruciatingly sexy and adorable Arizona Robbins was, Callie would be damned if she was going to let herself be labeled a cheater. She knew how it felt to be on the receiving end of a cheater, and she didn't know what kind of person could do such a thing, but she knew that kind of person was not her.

"Okay okay," Mark threw both hands into the air, "I understand that, but, full disclosure here, we _both_ know that you shouldn't have a boyfriend at the lake right now. I know that you do, and I respect your decisions as a faithful girlfriend and everything, but I think you're selling yourself short, chaining up to a guy like that, especially for the summer. Now, I'm not saying do anything for Blue Eyes," he winked his own blue eye at her as she sighed, too exasperated to correct him again, "I'm saying do it for yourself. You're too good for him. I know it, and you know it, so I won't feel bad for saying it."

"Don't feel bad, you're right." The shock in Mark's face at her words forced a laugh out of her throat, "I know Chris and I are pretty much done, we fight all of the time, we don't spend any time together, and the sex isn't even that great anymore." If she was being honest.

"Okay well then it is definitely time to move on. As your best friend, I'm going to say this:" Callie braced herself for whatever was coming out of his mouth next. Mark never began anything with 'as your best friend' unless it was about to be some tough love, "we both know when you and Chris started you were still ridiculously torn up over Erica. Sure, you had your fun, you got around, but we both know you weren't back to yourself yet." Callie nodded her head in agreement. After Erica, Callie had been so thrown off her game, she didn't even really recognize herself anymore. She had only just recently really felt like she was getting back to herself. She still can't ever see herself really trusting or _really _falling in love again, but that was a whole different conversation for a different time she thought as Mark continued. "So it was fine that you just needed something fun and easy. You needed a shallow relationship with no depth that had great sex and no room to really get hurt." Bingo. "We all need these sometimes, some more than others. And as your friend I was fine to let you have that relationship. I think he's a jerk, and you could have at least found someone who treated you better, but that's neither here nor there. The point is this: it's time to move on. You've had your crappy relationship that really means nothing, and now that he can't even provide you with the sex you need, it is time to move on and find something more worth your time."

"You are absolutely right Mark." She had thought the same of her relationship with Chris, but hearing it from her best friend's mouth had cemented her certainty on the issue. "I've honestly been thinking the same thing. We aren't going anywhere. That's exactly where I was, that's exactly what I needed, and now I'm over it. But the fact still remains that he is at the lake, for a week, and I am also not a person who breaks up with someone over the phone, so it will have to wait until this weekend. Which means, I am _still _not going to be hitting on any hot blondes tonight."

"And as sad as that particular part of your point makes me, I'm just glad you've come to your senses about that douche of a boyfriend."

Even though Callie wanted to punch Mark in the arm on principal as they made their way out of her apartment to head to the bar, she couldn't help but smile at his words and the fact that she actually felt the same way.

* * *

"Oh, come on, it wasn't _that_ bad!"

"What? You two were practically drooling on each other!"

Arizona and Teddy sat at the end of the bar at Joe's enjoying a few drinks. They had decided to come out after Arizona had unpacked and they ate a little food. Teddy told Arizona how Joe's was pretty close to where everyone she knew lived and was also fairly close to campus, so everyone usually ended up there most nights. Arizona desperately wanted a fun night out after her horrible travels for the past few days, and she figured this would be a good way to get to know the people she was going to be seeing most often for the next few years. They were a few drinks in when Teddy decided to start to mock Arizona and Callie's introduction.

"We were not! We just happened to both have a mind hiccup at the same time!" Arizona desperately tried to defend her first encounter with the sexy Latina.

"Yeah, ookay, hiccup, if that's what the lesbians are calling it these days, go right ahead, but us on the straight side like to call that 'eye-fucking'. Teddy bobbed her eyebrows up and down and snorted with laughter at the look of shock on Arizona's face.

"I was _NOT _eye-fucking her!"

"Undressing then," she waved her hand at her stunned friend, "either way, end result: the need to see each other naked." Another snort and Arizona knew her best friend was on her way to tipsy.

"Look, I was totally unprepared for how hot your friend was going to be okay? I don't know what it was. You know hot women don't intimidate me, and I am certainly not lacking in confidence myself," _Snort._ "but just, when she looked at me, I completely froze for a second. I don't know why, she was just..." shuddering, Arizona couldn't even finish her thought after just _thinking_ about the sexy brunette.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, it looked like she was experiencing the _exact_ same dilemma." Teddy rolled her eyed at the questioning look on the smaller blonde's face. "Oh please, like you didn't notice?" When Arizona only raised her eyebrows, she heaved a huge sigh and continued, "Arizona, she was literally staring at you with her mouth hanging open. I've _never _seen Calliope Iffy-whatever Torres speechless. And that's all you need to know. Wanna talk confidence? Callie has more than any one person should, but it works for her and it seemed to be nowhere in sight as soon as you walked up."

"Her name is Calliope? Iffy who?"

"Yeah, it weird, I know...well obviously her middle name is something I can't pronounce..._sooober_ or otherwise, " Arizona giggled at her clearly drunk friend who she had missed so so much, "but I got Calliope right...but she hates it!" Teddy grabbed Arizona's shoulder, eyes wide with urgency after realizing what she had just drunkenly disclosed, "So don't you DARE tell her I told you that!"

"I don't think it's weird at all, I think it's..." but once again, her thoughts were halted as she glanced at the door and saw a gorgeous brunette walk through it. Her mouth went completely dry as she took in the sight that was Calliope Torres. Her every curve hugged in the most perfect way in a black dress that hung over one shoulder and came to mid (_perfect_) thigh. Her hair was swept to the side in the most effortless looking way that made Arizona want to bury her hands in it and pull those perfectly shaped red lips into her own. She had to physically shake her head in order to fully avert her eyes. '_She has a boyfriend, she has a boyfriend, she has a boyfriend..'._ Arizona repeated the mantra in her head for far too long because as she looked up, Teddy had already noticed what she had been, once again, gawking at and had begun to laugh.

"Ugggh, shut up..." Arizona groaned, putting her face in her hands, trying to get a hold of herself.

"Nope, can't do it. You've been here all of six hours and you're already crushing on my friends!"

The smaller blondes eyes shot up at her friend, "_Crushing?!_ I am NOT crushing on anything! She is freaking hot, I'm freaking sorry, give me a freaking break." She tried to look as exasperated as possible at her giggling drunk friend.

"Freaking, freaking, freaking...crushing, lusting, _whatever_," throwing her long arms into the air, "you know what I am saying, don't act like you don't! Just get it together, you're embarrassing me." She finished this by downing her whiskey and firmly clunking her glass down on the table with an accomplished look on her rosy cheeked face.

"Okay, now, now I must really ask that you shut up." Arizona scrunched her nose at her best friend as they both started to laugh. She tried to resist, but as she threw her head back, she stole another glance at the tall tanned brunette as she downed a shot of tequila with a very tall, very good looking man. Watching as the two threw back one more shot before heading to the dance floor, Arizona wondered if this was the boyfriend Calliope had been arguing with on the phone. Turning back around, she decided she wasn't going to think about it anymore tonight. _'Calliope.' _She thought with a smile. She preferred the Latina's full first name. It was different, beautiful, alluring...exactly like the woman it belonged to.

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**Thanks for all of the likes and the reviews :) I appreciate it all! Like I said before, just writing it as it comes to me, so I hope you like it!**


	3. Never Say Never

It was much harder than Arizona had anticipated to push Callie out of her mind for the rest of the night. As soon as the Latina hit the dance floor, her hips sprang to life, swaying with the music. Arizona was completely captivated by the way the brunette's body seemed to know exactly when to speed up and slow down as she dipped and swayed to the songs that played. The man dancing with her was but a prop in her sexy show. Oh, how Arizona wished to be that prop. Watching Callie, it was like there was no one else dancing at all. The way her face lit up as she raised her hands above her head and spun around made Arizona's stomach clench.

"So is that the boyfriend Callie was arguing with on the phone earlier?" Arizona finally tore her eyes away from the duo as Teddy returned with more drinks. Drinks that she almost dropped as a laughed burst from her mouth.

"Mark? Callie's boyfriend? Yeah right! I mean, they've hooked up before, but that was years ago, they are just best friends now." Arizona was incredibly jealous at the thought of Mark and Callie together, but was also happy that she wasn't sitting here, staring at Callie and her boyfriend. She had no idea where this jealousy had come from or why it was for this woman she knew nothing about, and that scared the crap out of her. She downed her drink in three gulps and tried to once again push Callie from her mind. After all, she didn't do relationships. They were entirely too messy. The feelings Callie had already sparked in her were too much already. Arizona liked to keep things light and fun, nothing too serious. She was about to be in Med School, she certainly didn't have time for anything serious. Running both hands through her hair, Arizona tried to think of something else. The fact that she was even worrying about any of this when Callie wasn't even single was just insane.

She noticed as Callie and Mark made their way back to the bar to take some more shots. Everything Arizona had just reminded herself of went right out the window as she saw Mark leave Callie for a minute to hit on some busty redhead across the bar. Suddenly, Arizona found herself getting out of her seat, telling Teddy that she would go get the next round. As Teddy rolled her eyes and told her to go ahead, Arizona started to walk in the direction of the bar, having absolutely no idea what she was going to do once she got there.

* * *

Callie laughed as she watched Mark and the redhead. She loved watching the many interactions Mark had with women. She supposed she just knew him too well to believe that _anyone _could take his advances seriously. True, she was no stranger to the "Sloan Method," but she was _not _some conquest his self-imposed suaveness had lured in. They had been friends, with a mutual need, that was easily met. It had worked for a while, but they had both decided it was probably a better idea to just stick to the friends thing, and they had been the best of ever since. She was incredibly grateful for Mark. He was always there for her, whether she needed to be brought back down to earth, or just brought out for a night of dancing. He was the brother she never had. She did however, make a mental note to mention to him that if he was going to "be in love" with a freshman, he might want to stop hitting on busty redheads in bars.

She wasn't sure if it was all the tequila, all the dancing, or a mixture of both, but Callie was feeling quite flushed as she asked for a bottle of water. Reaching for it, she felt a hand on the small of her back. Knowing it was not a welcomed hand, she turned sharply to identify the imposer.

"I might need to order some water too after watching _those_ hips on the dance floor. Girl, you are _hot._" The way the tall meathead of a guy looked her body up and down made Callie's skin crawl. She swatted his hand away as he reached out to touch her again.

"You might want to order something a little stronger than that if those are your best moves, because trust me, you aren't going to get anywhere with anyone. Especially me." With a scoff she turned back around, confident that her rejection did the trick.

"You know," Callie felt her spine begin to tingle as she recognized the new voice coming from behind her. Turning around, she once again was met with ridiculously blue eyes, "as completely creepy and inappropriate as that guy was, I will have to say, he was right about one thing: you really do know what you're doing out there." Arizona gestured to the dance floor behind them with a smile. "Sorry if that makes me a creep now too." She added, having noticed the slight cock in the brunette's eyebrow at her confession to watching.

"Oh, I have a feeling you couldn't be a creep if you tried." Callie had no idea why, but she suddenly felt her inner flirt turn on. "Besides, a compliment like that coming from you makes me feel nothing but flattered." And completely turned on, but she felt it best to leave that part out.

"Well you should be, I could never hope to move like that. I don't think there's enough alcohol in the world that would make my hips move so smoothly." Hard as she tried to keep her flirting to minimum with this taken woman, Arizona simply couldn't help herself. This flirty banter had never come so easily with anyone else as it did with Callie right now.

"Well that's probably just because you haven't had the right partner." Callie's voice dropped and she leaned in closer to the shorter woman for a reason that was completely unknown to her.

Arizona could feel the brunette getting closer as her breathing started to get shallow. She noticed she had once again taken to biting her lip to keep from licking them as she also began to lean forward, closing the space between them even more. "Oh really? And who might the right partner be?" She was practically begging for an opening.

"I think when you find them, you'll know." Callie had lost all control over what she was doing. Arizona was now so close, Callie could feel her breath. All thoughts of her boyfriend and loyalty seemed to be worlds away as she made the choice to lean the rest of the way. She had just begun to close her eyes and ready herself for a kiss she had no idea she had even wanted until just now when she felt a hand clap her on the shoulder.

"So _this_ must be Teddy's hot friend you were telling me about." Mark had noticed exactly what was about to happen and decided to step in a save his friend from her own drunken decisions.

Arizona's eyes had barely closed, but they shot open at the sudden intrusion. Had she really been _that_ close to kissing Callie? She tried to feel bad for the boyfriend but the almost taste of Callie on her lips completely prevented that. She tried to be mad at Mark for interrupting them, but she not only thought it was probably for the best, but was also hanging on the fact that Callie had not only already told Mark about her, but had described her as hot. She smiled, Callie thought she was _hot_.

He smile fell as she looked back at Callie and saw her eyes focused with worry. Arizona had no idea what was going on behind those mesmerizing eyes, but she could tell it was a lot, and it wasn't good. She tried to say something, but was cut off buy the brunette's sudden movement as she jumped off the barstool she was on and quickly made her way to the bathroom. Arizona wasn't sure, but she thought she saw tears welling in those eyes. She made an attempt to follow her, but was stopped by Mark's arm leaning on the bar in front of her.

"Can I help you?" She tried not to sound too argumentative.

"I'm not sure yet, but I know I can help you." Mark took Callie's seat, and after noticing Teddy follow Callie to the bathroom, Arizona decided to remain where she was for the time being. "She was about to kiss you, you know that, right?"

"What's your point?"

"My point is I know you don't know Callie, but it seems like you like her."

"I'm sorry, but I'm still not seeing your point here."

Holding his hands up, Mark continued slowly, determined to get his point across. "Look, I'm not trying to make any presumptions about you, and I know you have no reason to trust me per se. But what you _can_ trust is that I know Callie better than you do at the moment," she nodded, because she had to at least admit that was true, "and if I had let her kiss you, as much as I _know_ she wants to," Arizona tried her best to hold back a smirk, "she would have never forgiven herself." Smirk gone. "And I don't know you at all, but if you knew Callie, _really _knew her, you'd never forgive yourself for letting her do it either."

Arizona's eyes fell to the floor as Mark's words sunk in. She didn't really know Callie, or Mark, but she suddenly found herself in pretty intimate moments with both and it was just her first day in town. She could feel from him that what he was saying was genuine and she could tell he wasn't trying to offend her. She thought how lucky Callie was to have such a loyal friend. Teddy had explained Mark to Arizona already, so she knew he was a good guy, but looking back up at him, she could see just how caring he was, especially towards Callie. For some reason, this only made Arizona want to know Callie more.

This was not something Arizona was used to. In fact, it was something she had successfully avoided for years. She did not lose control of her emotions, she didn't fall for people, and she _certainly _didn't let herself get so worked up inside over someone she had only just met. This woman was confusing the crap out of her, and they had only just met.

"I understand you know Callie better than I do, and I appreciate what you're saying and your reasons for doing so, but we've only just met, so there really isn't anything to worry about. I know she almost kissed me, and we've all been drinking, so I'm sorry our judgment isn't what it should be, but I promise you, I don't want to hurt your friend. I just got here, I need to _make_ friends, not hurt them. I just want to be Callie's friend, and whatever was about to just happen, won't happen again." She wasn't sure if she was trying to convince Mark or herself of that last point, but something in his sharp eyes told Arizona he didn't really believe it. She wasn't very convinced either.

"You drink tequila?"

"I'm sorry?" This had not been what the blonde was expecting to hear.

"Like you said, you need to make friends. I, happen to be a fantastic friend." He said this with a wink and Arizona suddenly found herself charmed by Mark.

"I drink tequila." Arizona nodded with a smile and was actually glad to have made a new friend. She was beginning to understand why Teddy had begged her to come to Boston when she confessed to needing a change. The school was great, obviously, but the people certainly grew on you too, she thought with a grin as Mark called for two shots of tequila.

* * *

Callie had no idea why she was crying. She hadn't even kissed Arizona. Hell, she hadn't even realized she was about to until Mark had snapped her back to reality and she had opened her eyes to see that perfect face about to make contact with her own. She had always been so sure of herself. Of the kind of person she was, and she was no cheater. She shook her head, trying to decipher if she was just really, really drunk. Realizing she was no drunker than she usually got when she went out, she decided that it was just Arizona that caused her to completely forget her situation. Her want, _need_, to kiss her was too much for her to control. That scared Callie. She was _literally _in a relationship with someone else and still felt a stronger pull to Arizona, who she had just met, than to anyone she had ever met before.

She quickly wiped the ridiculous tears off her face when she heard the bathroom door open behind her. Looking into the mirror, she was met with the wide eyed, half smiling face of her tall blonde friend.

"Teddy, don't. Okay?" Callie knew Teddy well enough to know when she was good and drunk and she knew anything could come flying out of her (usually) comically cynical friend's mouth and she was just not in the mood.

"Hey, look, I'm just here to ask if you're okay. I'm not going to say _anything_ about…" she scrunched up her face looking for the words, "…well about anything, scouts honor." Callie laughed as she looked up again to see Teddy clumsily holding one hand over her heart and the other up next to her face, fingers spread like Spock.

Still half crying, half laughing Callie finished wiping her face and turned around, "Yeah, I'm fine." Teddy cocked her head and hung her face as if her brain had just gone numb. A face she made often, Callie thought to herself, giving in to her friend's request for an honest answer. "I don't know what it is about your friend, but I just can't seem to control myself I guess. And that freaks me out. I think. I just don't know."

"She's been known to have that effect…" Callie was glad Teddy was drunk enough to be so honest.

"Well we hardly know each other at all, and I was this close to…" Tears began to well in Callie's eyes again as Teddy stepped forward, running her hands up and down Callie's arms to try and calm her friend.

"Hey, don't be so hard on yourself. You didn't even do anything. Who would have thought Mark Sloan would be good for sex _blocking_, right?! I did _not_ see that coming." Teddy was trying to lighten the mood, but her words could not have been truer. And they worked in making Callie smile again. "Look, I know that _you_ almost kissed _her_, but she's my best friend, I can tell her to back off if you want…"

"No, that's not what I want. I really do like her, I want us to be friends. I'm just drunk and making a big deal out of nothing." Callie waved her hand in front of her face and took a deep breath, readying herself to exit the bathroom. Teddy was right, she hadn't actually done anything, and she was a few days away from breaking up with Chris anyway, she shouldn't make such a big deal out of nothing. She repeated the words to herself to make sure they sunk in.

"We're all drunk, no worries." Teddy linked arms with Callie as they made their way out of the bathroom. "If it helps, I really do think you and Arizona would hit it off as friends. You're both great friends to me."

"You're not so bad yourself." Callie bumped hips with Teddy as they both drunkenly laughed their way through the door.

* * *

**Is it obvious that I miss Teddy and Mark yet? ;)**


	4. Colossal Failure

**Thanks for the reviews and interest in my story. This chapter is Callie-centric for obvious reasons. Full disclosure: I like it when it takes some time for Calzona to actually get together. Sorry!**

* * *

Callie and Arizona decided that night at the bar as they were all leaving that they would just be friends. The rest of the week had gone smoothly with their new friendship. The fact that when they saw each other, they were either also with Teddy or Mark or both made it much easier, but they found that Teddy was right, and they really did hit it off as friends. Albeit, flirty, but friends none the less. Conversations came to the two easily and as long as they were never alone with each other, they kept it strictly friendly. Mark and Teddy could still see the obvious attraction, but they thought it best to keep it to themselves for the time being at least.

Callie really was enjoying getting to know Arizona as a friend. She made her laugh easily and Callie could see why Teddy was so sure they would be great as friends. There were still the stolen glances over tables and lingering touches when handing each other things that Callie just couldn't shake. She knew she liked Arizona, but she was afraid to really find out just how much. The fact that Chris came back today and she was about to go break up with him made her even more nervous about her real feelings for Arizona. Her control was tested when she had a boyfriend, she could only imagine how bad it would be once she was single.

Closing the door to her apartment, Callie tried to push any thoughts of Arizona from her mind. She couldn't be focusing on her feelings for the gorgeous blue eyed friend of hers when she was on her way to break up with her boyfriend. She knew her reasons for ending things with Chris were entirely for herself and no one else, but she couldn't help the slight twinge of excitement she felt at the prospect of not being held back.

Callie tried to think of what she was going to say on the walk over to Chris' apartment. He only lived a few blocks away, she hardly ever drove to his house. She wasn't sure if he'd even be home yet. He had texted her and told her it would be around two and it was just ten minutes till, and she just really couldn't wait any longer. It was time. So she began the walk to his house without asking if he was home yet. She could wait or just take a longer walk if he wasn't home yet. This needed to happen now.

Making her way up to his house, Callie could see Chris' jeep in the driveway and saw Chris standing on the porch, looking inside at something. She was about to yell his name, when some_thing_ turned into some_one_. Stopping dead in her tracks, Callie watched as a small brunette woman came out of his house and wrapped her arms around his waist. Callie's mouth hung open as Chris leaned his head down to kiss the small woman. _'You have GOT to be kidding me! What the fuck?' _Callie cursed to herself as she watched the two wrapped up in each other. About to be dumped or not, that was _her_ boyfriend! A boyfriend she had been wrecked over having almost cheated on, and _this _is how he was spending his time?

Her feet began to move of their own volition, turning to storm up the front walk, making her presence known.

"What the hell is going on here?"

"Oh shit." Chris quickly let go of the smaller woman who Callie just noticed was standing next to a purple camping backpack. She had to hold herself back upon realizing what an idiot she had been. _'Sudden camping trip with the boys, my ass!'_

"Callie..." He tried to reach for her, but she threw out her arm, waving her hand around.

"Oh shit is right, Chris, _bullshit_! That's what this is. I see what you've been _doing_ for the past week!" She shot a sharp glance at the smaller, clearly intimidated, woman. "I guess that takes care of what I was coming here to do."

"What's _that _supposed to mean?"

"Oh no, don't give me that! You go away, for a week, at the beginning of summer without even telling me. And then I come here and find out that it wasn't with your stupid frat, but with…whoever this is!" Callie gestured to the woman still standing next to them. "We are done. We were done before, and I've felt bad for wanting to break up with you the whole time you were gone, but now I can see that you felt the same, you just weren't man enough to let me know before you decided to shack up with someone else for a week. Thank you for making this _so_ much easier. Goodbye." And with that, she turned and walked away. Not wanting to be there any longer, she ignored Chris' plea for her to just let him explain. Clenching her fists, she shook her head and tried to bite back the tears forming in her eyes. How could she have been so stupid? Sure, she wasn't really into the relationship, and it was just supposed to fill her time until she was ready for something real, but the fact that she had been cheated on, once again, was beyond anything she could comprehend. Her stupid in-between relationship had managed to turn into another heartache. If only at her own naivety.

* * *

Waking up a few hours later on her couch, Callie wiped the drool off her face and stood up to stretch. Upon returning home, she proceeded to finish off a bottle of wine she bought earlier in the day. Apparently it caused her to pass out. Without pants on. She vaguely remembered dancing around in her underwear while drinking the wine to try and alleviate her sour mood. Wiping dried tears off her eyelids, she decided that while she wasn't ready to stop drinking, it was probably time to do so somewhere else instead of alone in her apartment. And to do so, probably required she shower.

Heading to the bathroom, she shed the rest of her clothes and turned the water on. Stepping under the warm stream as steam began to surround her, Callie tried to wash away both the bad day and the early drunk so she could continue on with her night. Taking a moment to think about what happened, Callie felt tears in her eyes once again. Figuring this was the best place to get them out, she let the tears flow. It wasn't as if she suddenly wanted Chris or anything, she was sure in her decision to end things before she saw _her_. It was just the principal. She had felt terrible for _almost_ kissing Arizona, and all the while, he was off camping with some other girl, doing God only knows what. Shaking her face into the hot water, Callie actually started to laugh. It was as it should be, she supposed. No matter how hard she tried, she would always get the short stick when it came to love. Why did everything always turn out to be such a freaking disaster? Deciding she was done crying about it, Callie stepped out of the shower and began getting dressed. She was moving forward. She wanted a change, to move on from Chris, and so now she was. Pulling on her favorite black strapless dress so she would look and feel her best, she smiled at herself in the mirror, urging herself to feel better.

Callie decided to head to the bar alone, not ready to tell anyone about Chris just yet. They already knew he was a jerk, she didn't want them to realize that _she_ was an idiot. No, she would need some shots and some dancing first she thought as she walked into Joe's and went straight to the bar to order herself said shots. Callie was on a mission to pull herself out of this funk, nothing was going to knock her down tonight. She was going to drink and dance and forget about the fact that apparently she was a colossal failure at relationships.


	5. Behind Closed Doors

Arizona and Teddy made the decision to head out to Joe's after spending the day doing literally nothing. After sleeping in later than either normally did, they wasted the day away on the couch watching Cosby show reruns and eating ice cream. Noticing just as the sun was going down that they had accomplished nothing, they decided to get off their asses and go do something with themselves. So, naturally, they had gotten themselves washed and clothed and headed out to where they ended up every night.

"Mark said he was just about to head down to Joe's so he can just meet us there." Teddy locked her phone and put it in her back pocket after hanging up with Mark.

"Has he heard from Callie?" Arizona tried to hide the hope in her voice.

"No, he said he hasn't talked to her today. I think she said something about Chris getting back today though, so maybe she's out with him?" Sneaking a glance at her shorter friend's face, Teddy immediately noticed the small pout form on her lips at the mention of the brunette's boyfriend.

Arizona tried to stifle her disappointment at the reminder of the fact that Callie had a boyfriend. Sure, she and Callie had decided to be just friends, and she was genuinely happy that they had been able to do so for the past week, but she was lying to herself if she said she didn't feel something more for the Latina. Getting to know her better was only making it worse. Arizona decided she needed to figure out a way to get over it. Especially now that Callie's boyfriend was back. Arizona couldn't spend her summer pining over a girl who was already involved. And with a man no less. She certainly didn't want to find herself in another situation where she allowed someone to hurt her, and the feelings she already had for Callie after just one week were enough for Arizona to want to turn and run. And they hadn't even done anything.

Making their way into Joe's, Teddy took three steps inside and was met with beer all over her pant leg as a drunk jerk yelled at one of his buddies, waving his drink in the air.

"Are you serious?!" Teddy turned to say more to the idiot, but decided it would have been in vain, as he was already turned around, spilling his beer on someone else. "Shit, my pants are soaked."

"Let's get you to the bathroom and figure it out." Arizona tried to swallow a laugh. It really wasn't funny, and she was pissed off for her friend, but just the look on her Teddy's face made Arizona giggle unintentionally.

"Okay miracle worker, let's figure it out." Teddy waved her hands in the air as she waddled through the crowd, only causing more laughter for Arizona to have to stifle.

Making their way through the crowded bar, Arizona couldn't help her eyes wander over the whole place, the dance floor in particular. She knew Callie was probably with her boyfriend, even if she was here, but that didn't stop Arizona from wanting to see her and hoping that her eyes would land on the perfectly curved goddess that was Calliope Torres. There was no sign of the bronzed beauty, Arizona realized with a frown as she followed her soaked friend into the bathroom.

"Can I ask you something?" Opening the door to the quieter bathroom, Teddy decided to go ahead and ask something she'd been unable to quite figure out.

"Sure…" Arizona felt no need to hide the caution in her answer. She knew Teddy would just ask her question without any introduction if it were something simple.

"We both know you like Callie."

"That sounded more like a statement." Arizona cocked her head and squinted her eyes at her friend, trying to deflect the conversation she knew was coming.

"Very funny. I guess my question is, do you _really _like Callie? Or are you just trying to sleep with her? Because I see you when someone mentions her in conversation, and like just now, I see you looking for her when we come here, but whenever we've talked about it, you say you just want to be her friend. You can't expect to just sleep with her and then be friends like nothing."

"Weren't _you_ the one telling me she wasn't entirely straight and how shitty of a boyfriend she has?" Arizona couldn't help but feel slightly defensive. She had enough confusion swirling in her head over Callie, she didn't need Teddy adding to it, however good intentioned she may be.

"Yes, because those things are true, and I thought it was funny how taken with each other you seemed to be, but I never thought you would actually seriously be into her. You never go for anything serious. And it _definitely_ didn't mean I thought you should add her to your list."

"I'm not so sure I shouldn't take offense to that." Arizona knew where Teddy was coming from, but she was trying to start new from her old life and her friend knew that. She didn't necessarily want the string of short affairs she'd become accustomed to in New York. Granted, she didn't exactly know what it was she _did_ want, but that wasn't the point.

Teddy wasn't trying to make Arizona feel attacked, but she knew she was doing a shit job at it. "Look, I love you, but we both know you like to play the field. At least you did, and I've never seen you jump at commitment. At least not since Amy…" Arizona immediately closed her eyes tight at the mention of her ex. "and I'm sorry for bringing her up, I know I promised to not talk about her anymore…" Teddy paused, and knew her friend's silence was permission to continue even though she kept her eyes shut, "but even if you won't admit it, I can see that you really like Callie. And I just can't read how you're going to go about it and so I just wanted to ask where your head was at because I'm friends with you both, and I don't want to see either one of you get hurt." She finished her point with a wave of her hand and waited for the shorter woman's response, looking up cautiously.

At hearing Amy's name, a whirlwind of emotion swirled inside Arizona. She knew Teddy hadn't meant to spark her defensive mode. Arizona didn't even know herself that after all this time, the mere mention of her ex would send her walls (however minimally they had fallen) skyrocketing back up. She found herself immediately regretting letting her guard down for any length of time. The feelings Callie had already made her feel were dangerous enough and she couldn't even imagine what would happen if anything real were to go down between the two of them. Teddy could tell she shift in her friend and knew she was about to shut down.

"Arizona…"

"Look Teddy, it's really nothing to worry about. Callie is just incredibly hot. I want to have sex with her really (_really_) badly, yes, but I could never consider anything serious with her. We barely know each other _and _she has a boyfriend. You know how I feel about dating bi women. I can't trust her, how could I? I mean, she almost kissed me after knowing me for one day while she had a boyfriend. Definitely not what I'm looking for in a relationship. As for my list…" she playfully glared at her friend, "I'm trying to move past all of that. Do I want a relationship? Not necessarily, but I'm going to at least cut back on the meaningless sex for a while. Which means, I will also not be trying to sleep with Callie either. I meant it when I said I just want to be her friend. Nothing more."

Arizona had no idea why these words came falling out of her mouth so quickly. None of them were true. She _did_ like Callie. A lot. She wished she _had_ kissed her that night. True, they didn't know each other very well yet, but Arizona knew she could trust Callie and even though they had just met, she already wanted Callie more than she'd wanted anyone. She was just scared, especially after Teddy brought up Amy. Amy was the whole reason Arizona _didn't _date. She never wanted to feel that way again. She refused, it hurt way too much.

Still, wasn't that the whole reason she made the move to Boston: for a change? She told herself she was over her lonely life of school and meaningless sex. After so much time of building up her walls, she had begun to crave something more, something new. Could Calliope be that new thing she needed? The feelings she already felt for the sexy brunette were definitely new for her.

Unfortunately, just as those thoughts crossed Arizona's mind, someone began to come out of the last stall on the far end of the bathroom. Her heart sank as her eyes connected with incredibly sad brown ones.

* * *

Callie saw Arizona's bewildered expression at realizing she had heard everything that was just said and could only stare back for a moment, not sure how to react.

When she'd heard her friend's enter the bathroom, she became completely immobilized in her drunken stupor. So she stood in the stall and listened as Arizona laid out every reason she had for not wanting to be with Callie. Sure, it would have been incredibly presumptuous to assume anything would happen now that she was single, no matter how flirty they _both_ were with each other, but hearing her rejection before anything was even really proposed felt like a punch in the gut. _'This must just be the day for that.'_ She thought to herself as she rolled her eyes.

Standing outside the stall now, face to face with those blue eyes that made her weak in the knees, all Callie wanted to do was go home and curl up in her bed. Seeing Arizona open her mouth to say something, Callie decided that she really couldn't handle any more today and just rushed past both of the stunned blonde women and out of the bathroom.

"Did that _really_ just happen?" Teddy couldn't close her gaping mouth if she wanted to, she was so shocked.

Arizona wanted to punch herself in the face. Not only had she just flat out lied to Teddy about her real feelings for Callie, but Callie had heard every single word. Great. She stared at the ceiling for a moment, took a deep breath, and turned to make a quick exit from the bathroom after Callie, hoping she wasn't too late to catch her.

* * *

Pushing her way through the crowd, Arizona saw no sign of Callie anywhere. Looking towards the bar, she locked onto the bright blue eyes of Mark just as he gestured over his shoulder to the door. Looking in the direction his thumb was pointing, Arizona just noticed the flip of raven black hair as Callie made her way out the door. Pushing through the people with more urgency than before, she made it outside just in time to see Callie turn the corner. Breaking into a run, she had no idea what she was going to say when she caught up with the obviously hurt Latina.

"Callie!" Arizona turned the corner and almost ran into the brunette as she seemed to have stopped to catch her breath. "Callie, look…I…"

"Please don't Arizona. Not right now. I just…I can't right now."

"Callie please just let me explain…"

Hearing those words for the second time today cause Callie to feel tears in her eyes once again. She _really_ didn't want to cry. Especially not now, in front of Arizona. "Please just leave me alone." She tried to hide the hoarseness in her voice from holding back tears. "Look, I'm not mad at you. I've had a really bad day, and I just want to go home and go to sleep. It's fine, really. We can talk about this later, just not now. Okay?"

"Callie…"

"I said not now." And with that, Callie turned and continued to walk down the street towards her apartment. Arizona knew enough to know that she shouldn't follow and instead turned around and began walking back to Joe's, kicking herself for being so stupid. She didn't know why she felt so strongly for Callie in such a short time, but she knew from the pain in her own chest at the look on Callie's face in the bathroom that her feelings were strong. And they weren't something she felt like she could ignore. Not anymore.

* * *

**Thanks for the feedback and follows! I'm glad people seem to be enjoying so far!**


	6. Amy

Walking back into Joe's, Arizona made her way over to Mark at the bar after spotting Teddy deep in conversation with some guy. Mark already had a shot of tequila waiting on her, which she shot back quickly as she slumped onto the bar stool, laying her head on her forearms resting on the bar in front of her.

"Keep them coming, please." Arizona's plea was muffled from not even bothering to pick her head up, but she was immediately met with two more shot glasses being filled in front of her.

"That good huh?" She glanced up to see Mark gesture to the bartender to just leave the bottle.

"I'm an ass." Was all she could come up with. Because that's exactly how she felt. She was an ass for lying to Teddy about her feelings for Callie, and she was an ass for letting Callie walk out after hearing her. She was a _dumb_ass for having nothing better to say than 'please let me explain' when she had finally caught up with her.

"I have _been_ _there_." Mark smiled as he continued to pour shots.

"I assumed as much, since you were here, shots ready for when I struck out." She tried to laugh, but could only muster a scoff which was soon followed with a hiccup.

"Well, I don't know what went on between you three in that bathroom," he winked at this remark and Arizona swatted his arm, trying to look disgusted, but couldn't hide a smirk. She was getting buzzed fast. "but I do know Callie Torres. And when Callie goes storming home like _that_, she usually does so alone, no matter what you say to her."

"Well thanks for the confidence booster." Arizona had no idea what she was supposed to do from here. She felt like she didn't know Callie well enough to just show up at her door. Hell, she didn't even know exactly where Callie lived yet. What she _did_ know was that she wished she could take back everything she said in the bathroom. Wished she could wipe away the look of hurt she saw displayed across that perfect face.

"Look, if it makes you feel any better, I don't think that was all you. There's something else going on with Callie tonight. I don't know what it is, she won't tell me, but it's not just you. Shit, it's probably not you at all."

"Oh, some of it's me, trust me. She might have something else going on, but I certainly didn't help anything."

"What did you do?"

Throwing back another shot, Arizona sighed; lying got her absolutely nowhere the last time she decided on it, so maybe she should stop with that. "Ugh, I'm just an…"

"Ass. Yeah, we've established that. Hey, from one ass to another, I know it sucks, but we can fix this. Trust me, I've had plenty of experience with this." Arizona didn't doubt that for a second. Still, looking back at Teddy, who knew her whole situation, still deep in conversation with that guy, Arizona thought it couldn't hurt to have a fresh opinion on it.

"Well essentially, I just straight up lied to my best friend about how I feel about Callie." Mark shook his head in understanding, pouring more shots as he did so. "And Callie happened to be in one of the bathroom stalls and heard everything. Heard me say I don't want to be with her, I just want to have sex with her. Heard me say I couldn't trust her because she was bi and tried to kiss me when she still had a boyfriend. Basically heard me lay out every reason I could think of to _not_ be with her."

"Suddenly I understand the storming out…"

"I didn't mean it, Mark! Any of it!" The urgency she felt for someone to know the truth suddenly getting the best of her. "I don't know why I said it. I guess I just freaked. I mean, Calliope and I have known each other for _five days_. What is that? I mean, that's nothing. When you think about it, I mean _really_ think about it…that's not even a full week! Sure, that's plenty of time to know that you want to sleep with someone, and I do, I really really do want to sleep with her, but I don't know, something about her, I want more. And it freaked me out okay? I just got to town, and I already have these incredibly ridiculous feelings for a woman I only just met! How crazy is that? I didn't know how to deal with it, how to process it even, and then Teddy brought up Amy and I just freaked Mark, I freaked." Smacking her forehead with her hand, Arizona tried to catch her breath after her drunken rant.

Speaking slowly, realizing how flustered Arizona had become, Mark tried to sift through everything he was just told. "Okay, so what I'm getting here is you really have the hots for Torres and it's really freaking you out."

"You think?"

"One piece of advice I can give on the spot: don't go calling her Calliope to her face. She"

"Hates it, I know." Arizona hadn't even noticed herself use the Latina's full first name. She thought about it often, how beautiful she thought it was. She had begun to ramble so fast and she had so many thoughts running around through her head that the name had just flown from her lips without any second thought.

"Just as long as you are aware of the danger of using that name…" Mark was trying to get her to smile, and it was working. "Who is Amy?"

"What?" Arizona had also not realized the fact that she had brought up her ex, as if Mark already knew about her. "Oh…trust me, it's a long, downer of a story. I don't want to ruin your buzz with my sad past as it pertains to my confusing present." She tried to wave off the sudden rush of sadness and regret she felt.

"Try me." The sincerity in Mark's words, even through her drunken haze, took Arizona by surprise. She stared at him wide eyed for a second, mouth agape, unsure of where to begin or if she even wanted to. "I understand if you don't want to tell me, but just looking at you, I can see you want to talk about it. And we still have a third of this bottle to go, and my ears are not only perfectly proportioned and positioned," Arizona couldn't hold back her scoff if she'd tried, which she didn't. "but they are also _highly_ efficient. I am an excellent listener."

The laugh that flew from Arizona's mouth _might_ have insulted Mark if he hadn't been perfectly aware of how buzzed they both were. Catching her breath, she finally decided what the hell, if she was going to fix things with Calliope, she was going to have to start being honest. Might as well start with the beautiful woman's best friend.

"Amy…was my ex."

"Saw that one coming."

"Look, I've never explained this to anyone besides my brother and Teddy. Do you want to hear this or not?"

"You're right, I'm sorry, I'll shut up." He leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms over his chest making sure he was still close enough to hear every word.

"I met Amy when I moved to New York for school. I had had girlfriends in high school, but nothing serious. I mean, what's serious when you're only seventeen? Anyway, I moved to New York the summer before school started so I could have a summer to get to know the city before I had to focus on school. It was great. There was a whole group of us just living in the city for the summer waiting to go to Colombia in the fall. It was so much fun. I remember one night, a group of upperclassmen who lived in New York year round decided to take us out, show us the best spots in the city. Amy was one of the upperclassmen. She was two years ahead of me and she was amazing. She had long dark red hair and a pierced eyebrow. I mean, she was beautiful _and _badass." Arizona's eyes glazed over for a moment, thinking about the first time she had seen Amy. "It was the whole 'older, badass, city chick artist and I'm just an innocent, type-a, baby lesbian who just moved to the city' thing." She waved her hands in front of her face, trying to make her point. "Anyway, so they take us out, and we end up joined at the hip the entire night. We danced, we drank, and we talked. We ended up having a lot in common. She was _really_ smart, and _so_ interesting and never for one second acted like she was better than any of us just because we were new to town. I mean, you could tell the other upperclassmen were taking us out to kind of poke fun at how new we were to everything, and maybe that's why she came along to begin with, but once we got to talking, it was like we had known each other for years. We ended up having sex that night. And it was amazing. And it just went on from there. All summer. She had a studio loft where she lived. It was filled with her paintings and she threw these amazing parties there. I basically lived there all summer and the first half of the school year even. We were inseparable and I was totally in love." Arizona downed another shot and took a deep breath. It had been a while since she had _really_ thought about everything that happened with Amy. She was happy for the tequila, because she didn't think she could do this sober. She was also happy for Mark, because she was glad she could get this story out one time before having to explain everything to Calliope.

"Sounds pretty amazing…" Mark could tell she needed to be brought out of her own thoughts if she was going to continue.

"It really was." She didn't need to force a smile. Those first few months had been amazing. "Unfortunately, as cliché as it is, you know, artist in New York, Amy had a pretty serious drug problem. And since I never really was part of that scene, it was pretty easy for her to hide from me. I really think she was just trying to protect me from it. Still, it was this whole part of her life that I had no clue about. So I really had no idea how bad it already was by the time we met or how bad it could get." She was glad Mark decided to pour another shot. "She was so good at hiding it, and during that summer, I guess it just hadn't gotten to a point yet where she couldn't manage our life on top of her drug one. Then, as my first semester was ending, things started to get bad. Amy wasn't really going to school anymore, she would be all over the place, all of the time. I never really knew where she was and I had no idea what to do about it. I would try to bring it up when she would actually come home, and she would just crawl in bed and tell me how much she loved me and needed me and was sorry and how things would get better. I was so blindly in love with her that I thought she might actually be able to change. And after one really big fight we had, she actually did, for about a month. She was home more, she started painting again, and she actually turned back into the person I fell in love with. It was like our second summer together started like the first. We were happy. We would talk and laugh and dance…things seemed good."

Mark took that opportunity to pour the last two shots in the bottle.

"I think you can imagine what happens next…" Arizona tried to push down the lump forming in her throat.

"Hey, listen," Mark placed his hand on Arizona's shoulder, steadying her, "if you don't want to tell me this part, you don't have to." He could tell by the blonde's reaction to her story how it was probably going to end.

"No, I…I really should. I'm going to have to say this all again to Callio…Callie, so it's probably best I get…get the whole story off my chest beforehand." Arizona wiped the few tears she had just let escape and took a final deep breath. "That last month, Amy was amazing. Just like she was when we first met. To this day, I don't know if that's because for that month she actually tried to stay away from the drugs, or if she was just giving it one last push of effort for us. For me. But one day, I came home and I found her there. She was on the floor, by the coffee table. She had foam and vomit coming out of her mouth, but there was also a giant pool of blood on the floor by her head." Arizona felt a chill creep up her spine at the memory. It took her a long time to get that picture of Amy on the floor out of her head. "What the police think happened is she did too much, because signs of cardiac arrest were present, fell down, and hit her head on the corner of the coffee table. Either could have killed her and both probably played a part." She just stared at her hands on the bar. It felt good to say out loud after so much time, but the whole experience still didn't feel real, didn't feel like it had happened to her. Arizona still felt like she was telling someone else's story. "I moved into my own apartment two weeks later, and that was that. Her family was apparently aware of the drug problem, and they weren't on speaking terms, so they just let the city cremate her. It all felt pretty surreal. I didn't even tell Teddy or Tim, my brother, about any of it until months later."

"Jesus, Robbins, I'm sorry…that's…that's rough. I don't know how you deal with that." Mark was at a loss for words, a rare occurrence, Arizona was sure.

A sarcastic laugh fell from her mouth. "I don't know how you deal with it either. I haven't had any real relationships since. I've never even let myself _feel_ anything real for anyone." She suddenly thought of Calliope. "I became so numb after that. I know I was young, and it wasn't a long relationship, but I loved her. And the thought of loving someone so much again, I mean, it broke me when she died. I couldn't have fallen in love if I wanted to. I felt nothing. I just buried myself in school and sex. And while I may be over that life I made for myself and left behind in New York, I don't think I'm ready to put myself through something like _that_ again."

"I completely understand that. I wouldn't want to go through anything like that ever again. And I know I don't need to tell you that Callie isn't Amy. But what I will say is you left New York for a reason. Not soon enough if you ask me, I don't know how you stayed for so long after that, but that doesn't matter. What matters is you're here now, and for what? For a change. I know I don't need to tell you that Callie likes you. And I know there's that whole issue of she has a boyfriend and you're an ass, but I think what you both need to do is take a step back, relax, and don't get ahead of yourselves. You've _both_ been through a lot, believe me." The knowing look in Marks eye told Arizona there may be some interesting things she's yet to learn about Callie's story as well. "But you're just getting to know each other. You're both great people, just start from there."

Arizona smiled at how simple Mark made it sound. She was sure it was mostly tequila talking, but she actually began to feel hopeful about her and Callie. She only wished she could talk to her right then.

As if on cue, Mark's phone began to ring in his jacket pocket. Pulling it out, he smiled widely, "Someone's ears must have been burning. Hey Cal!" His smile quickly faded as he listened to his friend on the other end. "What?...He did _what_?!...I'm on my way."

Arizona had been watching his face the whole time and she knew something was wrong with Callie. Her faced hardened as she looked at Mark while he threw down a wad of cash for their drinks and began to grab his jacket.

"What happened Mark?" Arizona jumped down off of her own barstool and grabbed her things.

"Callie…I'm not sure…she's at her apartment, I have to go." He looked worried, and that was enough for Arizona.

"I'm coming with you." One look at her face and Mark knew there was no arguing. They were both out the door in no time, quickly heading in the direction of Callie's apartment. Arizona pulled out her phone to shoot Teddy a text letting her know where they went and tried to steady her breath as they turned the corner to Callie's place.

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**I'm trying to keep time between updates to a minimum, I promise! **


	7. Good Friends

Walking back to her apartment, Callie tried desperately to forget the day she just had. She wasn't lying, she hadn't been angry with Arizona, she was free to feel however she wanted to feel. It simply happened to be the worst possible night for her to overhear just how Arizona felt. Hearing how much Arizona _didn't_ want to date her after her drunken dancing did little for her already sour mood, sent Callie's head into a tailspin. Was she really hoping to start something more with Arizona that much? She could come up with no other explanation for the sick feeling she felt in her gut at the blonde's words. She knew Arizona's reasons were not meant viciously and to be fair, she was never meant to actually hear them. But she had. And there was no taking that back, as badly as she wished there was. Callie tried not to think about it, but she just couldn't shake her confusion with what Arizona said, and how she'd been acting for the past week. Sure, they had decided on friendship, and she already knew Arizona was a great one, but that air of flirtation and unease around each other hadn't faded. Callie still felt it, and she thought Arizona had too, but apparently she was mistaken. Digging through her bag to find her keys, Callie hadn't noticed the frown that made it's onto her face between her apartment and the bar. Or the fresh wall of tears that were in front of her eyes. She tried again to push her crappy day from her head and just focus on her big, comfy bed as she stepped out of the elevator and onto her floor. So caught up in her own thoughts, Callie didn't even look up as she made her way down the hallway to her door.

"Where the fuck are _you_ coming from so late?"

Callie stopped dead in her tracks as the obviously drunk voice of her recently dumped boyfriend flooded the hallway and jerked her back into reality. Her head shot up so fast, she almost lost her balance, being pretty drunk herself. "What are you doing here, Chris? I said all I needed to say to you earlier. We're done. Go home."

Pushing himself off of the spot on the wall he'd been leaning on, Callie could see just how hammered he was by the stumble that almost turned into a fall as he tried to gain his footing. "Well maybe I wanted to say some things? D'you ever think that?" He leaned in much closer than she was comfortable with as she side stepped him to get to her door. She could smell the alcohol on his breath as she slid her key into the lock, and even in her own drunken state, it was overwhelmingly strong. All she wanted to do was get inside, away from Chris and go to bed. She tried to mask her uneasiness, standing up straighter as she turned around after opening her door.

"Well, I really don't care to hear it. You made yourself pretty clear without having to say a word. And even before that, we were over Chris, and you know it, so just go home. Okay? I'm really not in the mood right now, and I want to go to bed." Callie was now leaning on her doorframe inside her apartment and was starting to close the door. She was done with this conversation and she definitely was done with this wasted Chris. Something about him tonight was making her very nervous.

Before she was able to close the door completely, Callie was pushed back as the door flung open, hitting her on the shoulder. Chris stepped inside, apparently not realizing he had just _hit her with the fucking door,_ and started getting much louder than before.

"I'm not going home until you listen to me! It's not just all about you, you know? You can't just come in here…" He was so drunk, he began to ramble, not even making sense, and Callie had no idea what to do. She froze as Chris rushed forward and grabbed her by the wrists. "I know…I…I know what you saw. And yeah, it was fucked, but you didn't even let me try and ex…explain it all to you." He tightened his grip on her arms.

"Chris, you're hurting me, let go of my wrists!" She knew asking him to leave again was only going to piss him off, but she _really_ needed him to let go of her. Feeling his grip loosen slightly, Callie did the first thing that came to mind, and pulled back on her arms as hard as she could.

"Callie! Stop it! Just fucking listen!" Chris tried to regain control of her arms, but Callie was not some weak girl and she wanted them back. In his wasted stupor, Chris yanked Callie's arm so hard, his own hand came flying up and off her arm. His hand made contact with Callie's face so hard and so fast, she didn't even realize it had happened until she felt his hands close on her shoulders. "Fuck, look what you made me do! That was an accident, please just let me explain."

Callie had only one other option in her head at that moment with Chris so close, yelling in her face. She could already feel her lip starting to swell and she knew for sure that she would have bruises on both her wrists and now her shoulders. She knew he hadn't meant to strike her in the face, but with him this drunk, she was _not_ about to wait for what would happen next. She brought her knee up as hard and as fast as she possibly could between his legs. As soon as she felt his hands fall and saw him falter, she turned and made a run for her bedroom. Locking the door, she pulled her phone out and dialed Mark's number. She knew Chris was not going to leave and she could already feel hot tears streaming down her face.

* * *

"Mark, what's going on?" Standing in the elevator was Arizona's first chance to stop and realize that she had no idea what they were about to walk in on. Suddenly feeling nervous, she couldn't help but think of earlier when Calliope had asked her to just leave her alone.

"It's Chris." Mark clenched his fists at his sides and Arizona knew he was already decided on what his plan of action was going to be. "I don't know what he did, but I know he did something. I know he's drunk, and I know Cal's scared."

"That sounds like all we need to know right there." His words melted away any nervousness Arizona was feeling. The thought of Callie alone and scared, the thought of her drunk boyfriend and how worked up Mark was suddenly made Arizona wish they had taken the stairs because the elevator was not moving fast enough. Whatever happened earlier that night, Arizona needed to see Callie. She needed to know she was alright and she needed to fix it if she wasn't. The elevator doors finally opened, leaving Arizona no time to fully process her complete panic at Callie being in trouble.

Arizona followed Mark down the hallway, though she could have guessed exactly where to go on her own. Callie's door was wide open and they could hear Chris inside, pacing through the rooms, yelling drunken nonsense. Just before entering, Mark turned to Arizona, placing both hands on her shoulders, they locked eyes, both preparing themselves.

"Look, I'm not sure what he did to her, but I know she's in the bedroom. Last door at the end of the hallway. I'll deal with him, don't worry about him, just get to her."

Arizona nodded, ready for whatever it was they would find. Stepping into the apartment, they saw Chris in the living room, looking out the windows, mumbling to himself. "You can't jus show up to myy place, and break up things like that…"Arizona made a quick dash behind Chris towards the hallway as Mark stepped between them. She could hear the punch Mark delivered, to what she could only assume was Chris' face, as he made an attempt to follow her down the hallway. Whatever else happened in the living room was muffled to Arizona's ears as she approached Callie's door. Taking a deep breath, she lightly knocked.

"Callie? It's Arizona…"

Picking her head up off her knees, Callie thought for a moment she had imagined the whisper of a knock and the voice coming from the other side of the door. Another knock. This one, she knew was real.

"Callie? Can I come in?"

Logic would have made Arizona the last person, besides Chris, Callie would have wanted to hear at her door. Logic was nowhere in sight though, because as soon as she realized it really was Arizona on the other side of the door, Callie felt a sudden wave of calm rush over her. It didn't really matter what she'd heard Arizona say earlier that night, because right now, when she was completely scared and freaked out, all she wanted was for Arizona to be in there with her.

Arizona released a breath she didn't even know she'd been holding as she heard the doorknob click. Turning the knob and slowly opening the door, Arizona found Callie sitting on the floor, legs pulled up to her chest with her head down, obviously still crying. She felt her own heart ache as she took in the sight of Callie, still in her sexy dress, sobbing on the floor. She didn't know Callie well enough yet to know how to console her. She didn't know if she was someone who wanted to be held the way she desperately wanted to hold Callie in that moment.

"Callie…" Any hesitations to touch the Latina were dashed as Callie looked up at the blonde and Arizona could fully take in not only the hurt in her beautiful brown eyes, but the swollen lip she was now sporting. "Oh my god, Callie! What the hell happened? Did he do this?" She was kneeling in front of the brunette immediately, cupping her face in her hands, inspecting her lip and wiping away tears.

Callie felt her face flush at the smaller woman's touch and she found herself placing her own hands over the soft pale ones. "I don't know, it all happened so fast. He was here when I got home and he was drunk and mad and yelling about how I didn't let him explain himself after I went to his house and saw him all over another girl."

"You what?"

"Yeah, it was earlier today, before Joe's. I mean, granted, I was going over there to break things off with him, but still." Arizona had to push down her excitement at the brunette's statement. Suddenly remembering earlier in the bathroom, Arizona felt all the more guilty about her stupid lies and the fact that Callie heard every last one of them.

"How did all of this happen?" Gesturing to the swollen face of the beautiful Latina, Arizona wondered if she really wanted to hear the rest.

"Well, when I came home, he was here. He tried to argue with me in the hallway and when I came in and told him to go home, he threw the door open, kind of knocking me back." Arizona closed her eyes for a second and took a deep breath, trying to stifle the rage building up in her stomach at picturing this guy hurting Callie. "He grabbed my wrists and kept yelling at me." Glancing down, Arizona's eyes widened at the obvious hand marks now present on Callie's wrists. Keeping one hand on the beautiful brunette's face, Arizona slid her other down Callie's arm, lacing their fingers. Feeling more tears land on her hand, she looked up into Callie's eyes. Arizona felt as if she could see the whole story in those eyes. They were so expressive that the Latina needn't have said a word. Wiping away more tears with her thumb, the blonde waited for Callie to continue.

"I tried to pull away, and that's when this happened." Gesturing at her lip, Callie tried to stop the tears from falling. "He didn't mean to hit me." Seeing the smaller woman's face harden, Callie knew she needed to clarify. "I don't mean it like that. What I mean was, he didn't haul off and hit me. He was grabbing me and his hand flew up and smacked me in the face. Trust me, I'm not making an excuse, I'm just trying to get across how it happened."

"You don't have to explain yourself to me, Calliope, I understand." Realizing before it was too late the name she'd just used, Arizona stood up, suddenly unsure of herself. She'd become so comfortable and in the moment, it slipped out. "Shit! I'm sorry, I know you don't like it when people call you that. I'm not even supposed to know it! _Geeze_, I am an idiot, I'm so sorry." Shaking her head, Arizona just wished that her blunder hadn't made Callie mad. She was glad she could be there for Callie now after having made _such_ as ass of herself earlier, she desperately hoped she hadn't just done it for a second time. Feeling the taller woman standing next to her, Arizona slowly brought her eyes back up to make contact with the brown ones that continued to mystify her. She could see a hint of a smile in them now. She wished that maybe her slip up hadn't been as drastic as she originally thought as she waited for the brunette to respond.

"Normally, you're right, I don't like it." It was true that her full first name, from anyone else's lips, made Callie cringe. For some reason, hearing it from Arizona now sent sparks shooting down her spine. She felt herself begin to smile, but was quickly stopped by a sharp pain shooting across her face. Wincing, she felt herself begin to cry again at the sudden reminder of what just happened and why Arizona was even here.

Rushing forward again, Arizona helped Callie sit on the edge of her bed. "Callie, I'm sorry, I won't say it again, I didn't mean to upset you even more."

"No, no it's not that. I liked it. I don't know why, usually I hate it, but hearing it from you, it's…it's nice. I'm just so exhausted and overwhelmed from tonight. I don't even know what to do with myself." She let her face fall into her hands and just wished for this day to be over.

"Here, lay down." Arizona sat at the head of Callie's bed. Grabbing one of her pillows and placing it in her lap, she gestured for Callie to rest her head on it. Not needing much convincing, Callie was down in a second as Arizona began to play with her hair to help calm her down. It worked because Callie was lightly snoring in seconds. Arizona couldn't help but smile as Mark appeared in the doorway.

"Hey, he's gone and he won't be coming back, believe me. How's she doing?" Arizona was so wrapped up in the moment, running her hands through what had to be the silkiest hair on the planet, that she almost forgot what brought her here in the first place.

"Hey, good, I'm glad. She's…I think she's okay. Physically, a busted lip and some bruises, but she's really, really worn out. I think I'm going to stay for a little bit and just make sure she's good and asleep. Do you think that's okay?"

"I think that's more than okay. I just got off the phone with Teddy, I wanted to let her know everything's okay for the most part. Do you need me to get you anything or do anything? Or are you just going to sit there like that all night?"

"No, I'm fine, really."

"Thanks for coming with me tonight, Arizona. And I don't just mean that for me, she needed you here too." He pointed at his best friend with a smile.

"Thanks for letting me. You're a good friend, Mark." Leaning her head to the side as she looked at him, she hoped he felt how much she meant it.

"I told you so. Call me if you need anything, I mean it." With a wink and a smile, he was gone. She heard the front door lock and took a deep breath trying to calm her nerves from the last hour.

"You're a good friend too…" Hearing the muffled voice of the already half asleep woman in her lap would have scared the crap out of Arizona if she wasn't suddenly so turned on by the low sultry rasp Callie's voice had suddenly acquired. She hadn't known the brunette was awake at all. Hearing the snoring again, she knew Callie had passed back out. Feeling her heart swell, she continued to run her fingers through raven black hair for longer than she could keep track. The last thought she remembered having before tequila and sleep finally took over was how good she felt in Callie's bed, with Callie's head in her lap, how this woman was _surely_ going to be the end of her, and how completely okay with that fact she suddenly was.

* * *

**I hope you guys like it! **


	8. I Lied

Arizona woke the next morning, sun in her eyes, sprawled flat on her back, still on Callie's bed with Callie's head still in her lap. Looking around, reminding herself of where she was and why she was there, she sat up slowly, trying not to disturb the sleeping goddess in bed with her. Realizing her desperate need for some water, Arizona carefully lifted Callie's head off of her lap and onto the pillow beside it, sliding silently off the bed. Tiptoeing out of the room, she tried to be as quiet as possibly knowing it was probably still pretty early in the morning. She couldn't help herself, she had been getting up with the sun since as far back as she could remember. Growing up on Marine bases will do that to a person.

Making her way into the kitchen, Arizona debated just leaving while she searched the cabinets for a glass to fill with water. She had no idea how Callie would feel about her still being here in the morning or about last night in general. They had their own issues they had yet to talk about and Arizona didn't want Callie to feel forced into dealing with it first thing in the morning. Especially after the night she'd had. Remembering back to the night before; to the tears is Callie's eyes and the marks on her body, Arizona decided she couldn't leave. Not without at least making sure Callie was really okay in the light of day. She made her way back to the bedroom, quietly pushing the door back open and easing her way inside.

"I thought you left." Arizona hadn't noticed the absence of the Latina's light snores as she shut the door behind her. Turning around, she could see Callie's eyes were just barely open, looking at her.

"I just needed some water." Holding the glass out to Callie, offering her a sip, Arizona couldn't help but stare at the bruises that had become darker overnight. The finger outlines wrapping around Callie's wrist made Arizona's blood boil as Callie began to lift her hand off of the bed. Noticing the blonde's reaction, she quickly put her hand back down.

"No, I'm okay. Maybe in a minute…" Sitting up with her back leaned against the headboard, Callie looked up at Arizona, unable to quite read the look on her face. "Thanks for staying with me last night." Arizona's eyebrows raised as Callie continued. "You didn't have to do that, but I'm…I'm glad you did." She looked down at her hands, suddenly nervous for some reason. Getting off of the bed, she stood across the room from the beautiful blonde, unsure of what to say or do.

"I wanted to stay with you." Arizona noticed the frown that formed just at the edges of Callie's mouth and her eyes narrow slightly at her words. She could just guess what the brunette was thinking about and kicked herself for being such an ass. "Callie…"

"Look, you don't have to explain yourself Arizona. I shouldn't have gotten so upset. I was just drunk and having a bad day and whatever. And you have every right to say whatever you want to say and feel however you want to feel and we've known each other what? A week? Why should you trust me? I mean, what reason have I given for you to? Granted, how much time is a week, but still, I…I get it. I can see where it's coming from and I don't blame you for anything."

Arizona, noticing no end in sight to Callie's sudden ramble, tried softly to interject to try and explain. After a couple of failed attempts to get the brunette's attention, she took a large step forward so she was standing directing in front of the taller woman, carefully resting her hands on Callie's forearms to stop her pacing.

"Calliope, I lied!" The Latina immediately halted her ramblings. She blinked a few times, obviously _very_ confused at the blonde's sudden outburst.

"You…you _what_?" Callie shook her head and pulled it back in question.

Arizona sighed, running her hands through her hair. It was now or never. "I lied. I was lying to Teddy last night, okay? I obviously didn't know you were in there, and I know that doesn't make a difference, but what you heard was me lying to my best friend about you. Because I _do_ like you, I really, _really_ like you. And I haven't liked anyone like this in a very long time." Callie thought back to the name she heard Teddy mention. Amy was it? She thought this was not the moment to bring that up and instead continued to listen to what Arizona had to say. "But you had a boyfriend and we've known each other for a week and so I freaked out when Teddy put me on the spot about it. Sometimes I call things wrong and my first reaction is to freak out and pretend things are different. It was stupid and I'm sorry you had to hear it and I wish I could take it back." Feeling Callie pull away, Arizona stopped and looked into her eyes for the first time since she began her speech. The look in them made Arizona brace herself for whatever Callie was going to say.

Callie wasn't sure why she'd taken a step back. She was both excited by Arizona's words, and still so unsure of how to take them. Arizona's hands on her _definitely_ wasn't helping. Callie wasn't so sure she wanted to tell Arizona the truth about how she felt, just to have her pull away again. Truth be told, she'd wanted Arizona since the moment they first met. Still, she couldn't help but continue to feel the sting of Arizona's words from the night before.

"So let me get this straight: you act like you like me, basically straight up hit on me right after stepping off your train, didn't try to stop me from kissing you the first night you were here, then agree to just wanting to be friends. _Then_, continue to look at me like…_that_." Nudging her head towards the blonde to point out the, not in the slightest bit vacant, stare that Callie had noticed was frequently plastered on Arizona's face when they were together. It set Callie's heart on fire and sent chills through her body if she looked back for too long. "Which, let's be honest here, is _not_ a friendly look. You look at me like that and bite your lip at me all week. _Then_ you tell your best friend how you can't trust me, and how I'm not what you're looking for, but hey! _That_ turns out to be the lie! I mean, which is it Arizona? I don't know what to think or how to feel because you keep saying one thing to me, and then acting completely different. So now is it what you _say_ that I should believe? Because if…"

Arizona could tell Callie was back into her rambling. She would have smiled, finding it rather endearing at how fast the Latina just took off, if she hadn't been talking _so_ frantically this time, waving her hands in the air. The smaller woman could see this going on forever if she didn't do something drastic. So she did the only thing she could think of. If Calliope needed to know the truth, she would just have to show her.

Neither woman was prepared for the shockwave their touching lips sent through their bodies. Arizona had grabbed Callie's face so fast, and kissed her with such conviction, that it shocked Callie at first, but once she realized how _fantastic_ Arizona's lips felt on her own, her whole body began to relax and she could react only by wrapping her arms around the shorter woman's waist and holding on for dear life. Callie winced as her hurt lip once again began to throb, but she put her hand on the back of Arizona's head as the blonde tried to pull away because she wasn't ready for the kiss to end. The blonde happily complied because she wasn't ready for it to either. Her stomach had flipped multiple times already in the short span of this amazing kiss.

Finally parting lips, they both tried to catch their breath. Their foreheads were pressed against each other, hands still in the same places, as they breathed each other in for a few seconds.

Callie smiled, Arizona's lips were _so_ soft and told her everything she needed to know. "You lied." She looked into endlessly blue eyes, a new sparkle in them that she knew matched how she suddenly felt as soon as their lips touched.

A small laugh fell from Arizona's mouth. The kiss had worked. Not only had she _finally_ been able to taste the perfect lips belonging to the bombshell standing before her, but she could tell by the huge, positively stunning smile she was now smiling back at that Calliope now knew the truth. "I lied."

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**Thanks for all of the feedback! Love it! Keep 'em coming! ;)**


	9. Breakfast 'Date'

Callie and Arizona didn't really discuss much after their short kiss. Arizona sat in the living room waiting for Teddy to bring her a change of clothes while Callie changed out of hers in her bedroom. Both woman quietly lost in their thoughts with dreamy smiles on their faces as they individually processed what had just happened. Neither knew exactly where they should go from there. The silent processing continued as Callie made her way through her kitchen, making another glass of water and looking in her fridge while Arizona kept her place on the edge of her couch.

"Do you want to go get some breakfast or something?" Callie was the first to speak, leaning over the breakfast bar. "I don't know about you, but I need _something_ to absorb the stupid amount of alcohol I may or may not have consumed last night."

Arizona responded first with a small laugh, as she had also consumed a stupid amount of alcohol the night before. "Sure, I'd love some breakfast."

The enchantingly dimpled smile Arizona shot at Callie made her immediately forget anything else she had to say and all she could do was stare, subconsciously licking her lips. Both woman released the breaths they'd been holding as soon as they'd made eye contact when they heard a knock on the door. Callie walked over to let in their taller blonde friend, both woman happy for the break to the staring contest they'd just been stuck in.

"Hey Teddy, come on in."

"Hey Cal, how are you doin? Holy cow! I see why Mark was so upset on the phone…" Noticing Callie's lip as soon as she walked in, Teddy held her fingers under her friend's chin as she got a better look.

Callie wondered how obvious it was that they were all heading into medical school, seeing the same calculating look on her friend's face as she had seen on Arizona's when she was inspecting her injuries. Waving her friend's hand away, trying to seem casual and not embarrassed, "It's fine Teddy, really. And I'm going to need to call Mark and let him know that too if he's as upset as you say."

"He was just sounded worried is all. Said he didn't really get a good look at you though so I came over here to see for myself that you were in fact okay. And to make sure that Arizona had _actually _spent the night here, of course." Teddy smacked the side of Arizona's hip as the shorter woman walked up.

"Whatever Teddy, did you bring my clothes? I need to get out of the ones I've had on since last night." Gesturing at herself as she said this.

Handing Arizona a bag of some clothes, Teddy, noticing the way Callie was currently looking at the shorter blonde couldn't hide the amusement in her voice. "You know guys, I must say, things over here are going _much_ better than I expected they would be." She raised her eyebrows, a smirk apparent on her face, detecting the obvious shift between her two friends.

Rolling her eyes, Arizona tried to brush off Teddy's remarks for the both of them, seeing an adorable blush rise to the Latina's face. "Anyway…we were just discussing going to grab some breakfast, would you like to join us?"

"As tempting as your offer is, I have my _own_ breakfast date to get to." The smile creeping onto her face showing how proud she was of her plans.

"Is this a post-sleepover breakfast date?" Callie asked the obvious question, cocking a perfectly sculpted eyebrow at Teddy.

"No, it is _not_. I met him last night at Joe's…_and _we parted ways at Joe's!" She clarified, her face stern as she saw Arizona nudge Callie's arm playfully at her mention of where they'd met.

Seeing her friend beginning to get annoyed, Arizona put on her best apologetic smile. "Okay, okay Teddy. Do we get to know anything else about this mystery man or _why_ you have a _breakfast_ date with him?"

Contemplating if her friends deserved _any_ info on her date, Teddy decided to give them a little something. "His name is Henry. He's a baseball player and he has early training, so we're meeting for breakfast before he has to go. And that's _all_ you two get to know." Pointing her finger and squinting her eyes at her friend's as she made her way back over towards the door. "I've actually got to get going if I'm going to be on time. I'll see you guys later?"

Callie made her way back to the kitchen with a wave and a laugh at her friend as Arizona followed Teddy to the door to let her out. "Absolutely! Thank you for dropping off my clothes. Good luck on your date!" Arizona smiled with a wink.

"Thanks. And no problem, I'm just glad everything's going good over here." Arizona saw her friend wink back at her and knew that she wasn't just talking about the Chris situation. "Text me when you guys are done with _your_ breakfast date." Waving her hand as she walked out the door before Arizona could respond to Teddy calling herbreakfast with Callie a date. They hadn't actually discussed it being a date at all.

Before Arizona could think more about it, Callie was leaning over the breakfast bar again. "Do you want to go change and then we can go?"

"Totally." With a shake of her head and a smile, Arizona made her way back into Callie's room, breathing in how amazing it smelled, just like Callie. Date or not, Arizona was just happy to be spending some alone time with the breathtakingly stunning woman.

* * *

"So how are you feeling?" They'd exhausted all the small talk they could muster halfway through their breakfast and Arizona decided it was time to just go ahead and ask how Callie was after the night they'd just had. She tried to sound casual and to hide the obvious concern in her eyes.

"You mean besides my hangover and _injuries_?" She held her fingers up in quotations at the last word. As scared as she had been the night before, she knew the only reason they'd happened was because Chris was so drunk. Noticing one of the beautiful blue eyes completely focused on her twitch, Callie let out a sigh and glanced down at her plate of food. She had no idea why, but she suddenly felt shy about what happened and slightly embarrassed. "Arizona, you don't have to look at me all concerned like that. I know I have a busted lip and bruises, and as humiliating as those things are, it's not like he just hauled off and struck me. He was drunk and scared the shit out of me, yes, and I can't even begin to tell you how relieved I was when I heard your voice on the other side of my door and Mark's in the living room, but you don't have to look at me like I'm some abused woman. This swollen lip is embarrassing enough." She hadn't meant to sound so upset, and she immediately felt guilty for her slight outburst when she saw a glimmer of sadness cross the blonde's face.

"Callie, you have _nothing_ to be embarrassed about." Arizona wanted to reach across the table and hold the beautiful olive toned hand Callie was resting beside her plate, but held back, unsure of how the other woman would react. "I'm sorry you think I'm looking at you like you're some abused woman, I'm not trying to, and I _certainly _don't think you are. I just want you to be okay, that's the only reason I asked, I'm sorry." She shook her head, looking down, guilty of how her question and concern had made the Latina feel.

"No, I'm sorry. You're right, you were just asking and I got upset for no reason. I know I shouldn't be embarrassed, but for some reason, that's just how I feel right now, and it got the best of me. It's just…" Pausing, unsure of what she wanted to say. She decided to just go with the truth, there was no reason not to anymore at this point. "I just kind of want to forget all about last night with Chris. I know everyone wants to make sure I'm okay and I'm _fully_ aware that I still need to have a conversation with Mark about all of it, but I just…don't want to dwell on it. I have _more_ than enough to remind me of it for now at least." Bringing her hand up, Callie gestured at her busted lip. "And I just don't want to talk about it anymore. And I know we haven't _really_ talked about it at all, but the thing is…I broke up with him yesterday afternoon. I was _on my way_ to break up with him when I caught him with another girl. So if I wasn't already sure of how over him I was, which I was already _fully_ aware of, that did it. I was over him before I caught him, and I was _definitely _over him after. To be honest, by the time I made it home last night, I was more worked up about what you said than about what he'd done. I wasn't even thinking about him when I found him at my door, I was thinking about you." Callie attempted her best nonchalant laugh at her last statement, but she knew it wouldn't do much help to hide the fact that Arizona's words had stung, true or not.

"Callie, look, I…" Arizona lifted her hands to her forehead, running her fingers lightly over her own eyebrows before letting them rest under her chin. Opening her mouth to explain herself fully, she was quickly cut off.

"Arizona, I didn't say that so you would feel like you need to explain yourself to me. You really don't. You didn't know I was in there, and what you say to your best friend is between you and her. I really don't need to hear you explain it. You told me you were lying, and I believe you, you don't have to explain it anymore." Callie was happy with how convincing she sounded to herself. In reality, she was _dying_ to know what caused the blonde to lie to Teddy, but she knew it wasn't really her place, and she didn't want the blonde to feel pressured.

"But I really do, Calliope. I mean, I want to, if…if you'll let me." Her voice got quieter towards the end of her sentence, realizing she had once again used Callie's full first name, but finally looking up into the brown eyes of the beautiful woman before her, she saw a smile behind them, and felt herself begin to smile in return.

"If it's important to you, of course I'll let you." Making no mention of Arizona's name drop, Callie folded her arms on the table in front of her. She had no idea _why_ she didn't cringe when the blonde said her name, but she had a feeling it had something to do with the perfect pink lips it fell from when she did. Focusing on them now, Callie felt a tug low in her stomach as she waited for Arizona to begin, not noticing the large smile suddenly plastered on her own face.

"I honestly have _no_ idea why I decided to lie to Teddy last night. It wasn't something I planned on…it wasn't even anything I thought I might do until it actually happened. As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I regretted saying them. Before you were even out of the stall. I want you to know that Callie…and really hear it. I'm not just saying all of this to you because you happened to overhear me." She locked eyes with the brunette as she said this to make sure that she was _really_ being understood. The understanding look she found in Callie's eyes made Arizona's heart melt. The look Callie was giving her made her feel like no one could _ever_ understand her the way this woman could.

"I know you aren't, I can see you aren't." Callie reassured her so she would continue.

"I like you Callie. A lot. And I know we haven't known each other that long, but I've felt this strange pull to you since the moment I walked up to you and Teddy at the train station. I can't really explain it, but it's been there this whole time, as I'm sure you've noticed." She didn't need the nod Callie gave her to know she was right. "Stupidly, I thought I was hiding it pretty well…I was wrong. When Teddy brought it up, I wasn't expecting to freak myself out so much, but I did. And then, she brought up my ex…"

"Amy…" Callie accidentally remembered out loud, her eyes shooting up to magnetic blue ones in apology.

"Yeah, Amy." Arizona paused for a moment, unsure of how deep to go. Seeing right away the obvious curiosity written all over Callie's face, Arizona took a deep breath. Now was as good a time as any. "I wasn't expecting Teddy to bring her up, and I was completely unprepared for how it was going to make me feel. I totally shut off and the lies just came flying out." Looking back into Callie's eyes, she tried to focus on how those stunning eyes locked onto her made her feel, wishing she had a little bit of liquid courage to get her through this story a second time in one day. "Amy was the only real, adult relationship I've ever been in. It was four years ago and up until _very_ recently, it was the reason I've stayed away from them ever since. Me lying to Teddy was a reaction to her pointing out the fact that I haven't had the kinds of feelings I have for you for anyone else in about four years. Since Amy. This was a conscious decision at first, but then it just became my life. I would have short affairs, sure, but nothing remotely close to what I had with Amy, and I _never _had any _real_ feelings for anyone since then. I wouldn't let myself. I just simply couldn't control how I felt about you though, and it freaked me out. Even more so when Teddy brought up Amy." Arizona didn't realize she was avoiding eye contact with Callie this entire time until she felt Callie's fingers lightly touching her own, causing her to finally look up once again into the heart melting look of complete understanding.

"Sweetie, you don't have to tell me all of this if it's too much for you. I don't have to hear it right now."

Arizona knew Callie was telling her the truth and would understand if she wanted to stop. But the thing was, she didn't want to. She _wanted_ Callie to know the truth and to understand why she had been such an ass about her feelings. She also knew there was no stopping herself now. "No, if I don't get this out now, I never will. And I want you to know all of this about me, even if it's not so easy to tell." With that, she threw caution to the wind, fully took hold of Callie's hand across the table, feeling a rush of confidence at the touch, and finished the story of her and Amy, staring at their touching hands the whole time.

When she was finished, Arizona brought her eyes back up to look at Callie and released one last, long breath. "That's why I've been such an idiot. I've been so guarded for so long from feeling anything for anyone. I just couldn't stand the thought of needing someone so much again, and losing them. It was too much for me to even consider." Seeing the wide-eyed look she was receiving from Callie made Arizona suddenly nervous she had freaked her out. She kept the story of her and Amy to herself for a reason. It was too heavy, not only for her to tell, she realized, but for other people to hear as well. "I know this is a lot, and I understand if it freaks you out." Looking back down at their hands, Arizona began to pull hers away, feeling she had divulged too much, but the tightening of tan fingers caused her to pick her head back up.

"Arizona, I am _not _freaked out. I'm glad to know more about you, because I like you too. A lot." Arizona's nerves relaxed as she heard the reassuring words from Callie, and knew she was being sincere, feeling a small smile tug at her lips. "I'm sorry, I was lost in my thoughts for a second, I just can't even imagine..." Callie began to stroke the back of the soft pale hand in hers with her thumb. "I thought _my _last relationship had me messed up…but I don't even know what I would do if I had to go through that, I'm so sorry. I'm really happy you could tell me about it though, I know it can't be an easy story to tell."

Arizona could see how heartbroken Callie seemed for her, and she didn't know why, but it made her feel immensely better about it all. Telling Callie, holding her hand while recounting her sad tale had somehow lifted this weight Arizona hadn't even realized she'd been holding. Now that it was all out in the open, Arizona felt more ready than ever to try and leave it behind her. And Callie seemed more and more everyday like just the person she needed to help her do just that.

"When you say last relationship, do you mean Chris?" Becoming aware of what the brunette said made Arizona suddenly incredibly curious about the other woman's past, remembering what Mark said the night before and what Teddy had already revealed to her.

Callie couldn't hold back a snort at the smaller woman's question. "No no no…_not_ Chris. I'm talking about my last _actual_ adult relationship. Not the glorified sex buddies thing I had going on with Chris." She tried to hide a smirk as she saw Arizona's face scrunch up ever so slightly at the mention of her sexual relationship with Chris. "I'm talking about Erica. The woman who knocked me so far off my game, I ended up with an idiot like Chris for six months afterwards."

"What happened?" Arizona couldn't imagine what could knock this bombshell _that _far off her game, but apparently something had, and apparently it wasn't good. "I mean, you don't have to tell me, if you don't want to…." She felt bad for being so quick to ask what went wrong. Shrugging her shoulders, she pouted her lip at herself for being so intrusive after Callie had been nothing but considerate when it came to her story. Hearing another giggle from Callie, she relaxed a bit.

Callie didn't know how she had missed how completely adorable Arizona was, but seeing her flustered all of a sudden just made her want to wrap her up in her arms. She didn't know how someone could make her mouth run dry at how drop dead gorgeous she was, _and_ make her feel warm inside with how cute she was all in the same day. "It really isn't all that interesting trust me. And it certainly isn't anywhere near what you went through."

"We've all been through stuff, Calliope, it's not a competition…"

"No I know…I'm sorry, that sounded stupid, look, how about I just tell you?" She picked both hands up beside her head in question, immediately returning the hand that was on Arizona's to its place before continuing after Arizona nodded her head, ready to listen. "I'd known Erica for a while before we started dating. We started school here at the same time, had a lot of the same classes and friends, you know the drill. I had fooled around with this one girl our freshman year, so it was never really a secret that I played for both teams. She'd had strictly girlfriends in high school, and always gave me crap about being bi, but it was always in good fun, so it was whatever." Arizona saw the hint of a frown begin to form at the side of Callie's mouth at this particular point. "Anyway, the both of us always ended up staying on campus year round, so by the summer before our junior year, we were really close. She was my best friend. We were _so_ different, she was so pragmatic and everything was black and white with her. I appreciated that since I so often found myself swimming through the gray areas of my life, but with her, I knew where we stood always. She was always up front with me, would never beat around the bush, saw things for how they were and that was that. It worked perfectly…for our friendship at least. Just before we were about to start our junior year, we were at a big party, tons of people there, we were all dancing and drinking all night and she just…kissed me. And that was it. It was like everything came crashing down and started making sense. Our friends had always joked that we should just get together, but neither of us really gave it much thought. Well, until that night anyway. And then it just…I don't know, it made sense at the time."

Arizona could see the tension in the brunette's forehead and knew that this relationship had done some work on her. It was now her turn to soothingly rub the back of the Latina's hand. "Hey, I can totally see how that makes sense…"

Another snort came out of Callie. Arizona knew that it wasn't directed at her as she waiting for the clearly still jilted woman to continue.

"Yeah, so could I. So we started dating. And it was pretty awesome. We basically just continued our best friendship, only added sex, which is always a good thing. And the sex was great, so it was a pretty stellar arrangement. We dated our whole junior year and into the summer. It went fairly well until then, we got along, we supported each other, it was great. When summer started, we _really _began to realize just how different we were. Once she'd made her mind up about something, that was it, and I couldn't ever get a word in edgewise, and it drove me crazy. I used to admire the way Erica saw things, but once I realized Erica just saw things the way _she _wanted to see them, and saw how different it usually was to how _I_ saw things, it just made things worse between us. Stuff that didn't matter when we were just friends suddenly became a big deal when we were together. The fact that I am bi was one of those things. I started to realize that we fought a lot about the fact that I wasn't, I guess, lesbian enough for her…I don't know. All I know is we got in this one _huge_ fight about a bunch of different things one night. I finally told her something was going to have to change if we were going to work out. I didn't necessarily want to break up, I just knew I couldn't fight with her anymore. Everything had to be a certain way with her, she left no wiggle room, and she bent for no one. She said that's the way she was. She said she didn't think things fell into gray areas like I did. She said you simply can't _kind of _feel a certain way about things. And then finally, she told me, you can't be _kind of_ a lesbian."

Looking up in time to see the genuine flash of hurt that sprang across Calliope's face, Arizona just wanted to stand up and hug her right there.

"When she said that, I was so shocked and hurt, all I could say was '_Yes, I can.'_ To which she laughed, turned, and walked away. And that was the last time I saw her." Callie had to hold back a laugh at the stunned expression she saw on Arizona's face.

"Wait…what?" Arizona was thoroughly confused.

"Yup. She stopped answering my calls after that. And when I went to her apartment after a week of no response I found it empty. Because she'd moved out. Moved states. At least that's what I assumed."

"So you don't know?" Arizona was still completely shocked with how this story had ended, her eyes still wide with confusion.

"Oh, I know she's somewhere else. She'd changed her number and never once bothered to even formally break up with me, but one of her friends was kind enough to inform me about two months later that she'd 'had enough', it was 'all too much' and she 'had to just get away.' So that was it. She left town, and left _me_ feeling pretty worthless."

Finally fully grasping what had been done to Callie, and seeing the deep, hurt and insecurities floating in her eyes, Arizona wanted nothing more than to find this Erica and punch her in the face. "Callie, I'm so sorry…that's just awful, I don't know how someone could do that."

"Yeah, I was pretty shocked myself. It wasn't even really that she broke up with me, because she didn't _really_ even do that," Callie tried to chuckle at this. "it's really the fact that she just up and _left_ without another word. I mean, I've felt shitty after being dumped, but her just completely leaving town after being here for three years really shook me. I felt really insignificant…like if it's that easy to not just break up with me, but completely just run out of my life without so much as a phone call…I just thought we'd meant more to each other than that. I could have _never_ seen myself doing something like that to her." Callie was looking down at her plate again, suddenly feeling insecure as she talked about her abandonment. Wiping a tear from her eye, she forced a laugh. "I'm sorry, I haven't really talked about this much since it happened. I just threw myself into random hookups and alcohol after she left, and then I met Chris, and here we are. I didn't think I'd react like this. I'm sorry, I feel stupid now, especially after the story you just told me…" Callie once again looked at Arizona with an apology written all over her face.

Reaching for the check before Callie could grab it, Arizona laughed. "The way I see it, Calliope, we were _both_ left behind. And that sucks no matter how it happens. And no, you cannot see the check, this is my treat." She winked with her smile and was happy to see the returned smile it got, her change of subject apparently more than welcomed.

Arizona's dimples could sweep Callie off her feet by themselves. She immediately felt better as she saw the blonde's flirty side start to show. "Oh, well I'm just going to have to make it up to you somehow." Standing up, she wiggled her hips teasingly, unaware of just how hot it made the other woman.

Trying to keep her composure and her hands to herself after watching those _perfect _hips shake, Arizona stood up with a giggle and continued the flirting as they made their way out the door. "I can think of a _few_ things you could exchange for your breakfast." There was absolutely no denying the sexual chemistry already consuming both women.

"Now, Arizona, do you think I would just give it up like that after just one date?"

Halting her pace at the word date, Arizona forced the taller woman to stop and turn around to face her, placing her hand inside a silky smooth tan one without even thinking about it. "Calliope, you don't _really_ think _that_ was our first date, do you?" She shook her head, a teasing look in her deep blue eyes as she glanced up at the Latina through her eyelashes, setting the taller woman on edge.

"I'm sorry, am I insulting your game or something?" Callie smiled at the shorter woman playfully, swinging their now laced fingers between them.

"Oh…you have no idea. _When _I take you on our first date, it will _not_ be to a hungover breakfast where we discuss our sordid pasts…as wonderful as strictly getting to know you is. No, it will be nothing but fun and sexy." Arizona nodded her head in assurance and continued their walking down the street to Callie's place.

"_Wheeen_ you take me? You sound pretty sure of yourself for someone who hasn't even _asked_ me out yet." Callie began to laugh, but was quickly cut off as her body was suddenly thrown to the side and she found herself against the wall of her building, Arizona's body pushed flushed against hers, her breath consuming Callie's senses. The Latina was immediately weak in the knees and felt a rush of heat fly up through her body. Arizona brought her face millimeters from Callie's, teasing the taller woman with the feather light touch of her lips. Arizona held out for only a second and then her lips slowly pushed into the full ones of the now trembling brunette. She tasted better than Callie remembered as she pushed her jaw up slightly and ran her tongue over Callie's upper lip before bringing her mouth back down to nibble lightly on her bottom one. Callie released a shuddering breath and opened her eyes as Arizona slowly pulled her mouth away, leaving their bodies pressed against each other. It was soft and short, but that kiss left Callie feeling more aroused that she'd been in _months_. Quite possibly _ever. _

"Calliope…" He real name falling from the softest lips that had ever been on her own almost caused Callie to start ripping the shorter woman's clothes off right then and there in the street. The gut wrenchingly sexy glint in those blue eyes was not helping her control at all "Would you like to go on a date with me?"

"Mmmhmm…" was all Callie could muster after Arizona had taken her by such surprise. She was still so shocked and turned on, she couldn't form real words. Looking down to see the perfect dimpled smile now on display, Callie couldn't help but smile back, even through her turned on haze. She was afraid that after a whole _real _date with Arizona, she wouldn't be able to hold herself back from giving it up. Hell, she was already in _serious_ danger of giving it up right then and there. This incredibly sexy woman had shocked the hell out of her since first arriving. And Callie found herself _extremely_ excited to find out what else she had to in store.

* * *

**So sorry for the delay! Things have been crazy at work! I will do better about updates, I promise! This is the longest chapter so far, if that makes up for it at all... :)**


	10. Boardwalk

Arizona Robbins was freaking nervous as she got ready for her first date with Calliope. Halting her pacing to look at herself in the mirror, she finally caught a glimpse of what her room looked like. She had been manic in her search for what she wanted to wear, and in her mania, had managed to throw almost every item of clothing she owned around the room. Looking down, she immediately began to second guess what she'd landed on. After twenty or so _other_ outfit changes. Her head spun around almost in panic as she heard a knock on her door.

"Hey Arizona, have you seen my…what's wrong with _you_? And what happened in _here_?" Teddy looking up, noticed both the crazy look on her friend's face and the state of the room she'd just walked into.

"I can't figure out what to wear! Callie high jacked my date and now won't tell me what we are doing!" She turned back around with a huff, knowing how crazy she sounded. In all fairness, she and Callie decided that since she'd just moved to town, and Callie had already lived there for years, it would probably be a better idea if the brunette decided on what they were going to do. Teddy knew all about their date and just let her mouth hang open in a smile as she realized how nervous her friend was. Arizona caught a glimpse of Teddy's face in the mirror. "_What_ is so funny?" She turned back around to stare at her friend in the face.

"Nothing, it's nothing…I just don't think I've ever seen you _this_ nervous about anything. It's kind of funny, you're acting kind of crazy. I'm usually the frenzied one, you usually keep yourself together, but you are all _kinds_ of crazy right now." Teddy couldn't hold back her laugh as a flash of terror crossed the shorter woman's face.

Arizona, deciding on honesty from now on, huffed her way over to her clothes covered bed and sat down. "That's because I've never _been_ this nervous before." Throwing her hands up and rolling her eyes. "And this is coming from eighteen years of living under the Colonel's roof!" As fun and caring as her Marine father was, when he was all business, it could set _anyone's_ nerves on edge. She would take one of his lectures over how she felt right this second in a flash, and that was saying a lot.

Once again letting a laugh escape her, Teddy made her way over and sat next to her friend. "Pull it together, Robbins." Nudging Arizona's arm, Teddy said what they always said to each other whenever the situation called for it. Simple words that always helped them bring each other back to reality.

Arizona smiled, releasing a deep breath. Breathing another one in, she looked up from her lap. "Thanks. I was losing it there for a second." Standing back up, she turned to face Teddy. "But I still have no idea what I should wear." Holding both of her hands out, she felt her frustration rise again.

Teddy took a look at her friend, who was wearing white shorts, with a light blue long sleeve buttoned down shirt. The shirt was feather light and the smooth fabric clung to her in the exact right places and fell loose where it needed to. Arizona had buttoned only the ones that _had _to be done, letting the very top of the camisole underneath show. Teddy noticed she had also straightened her hair. Her friend meant business tonight. "Legs, check. Blue for your killer eyes, check. Cleavage, check. Hair looks great. Arizona, you look awesome, what's the problem? Callie's gonna love it, and you said she told you not to worry about dressing really nice, it was more casual, right?" The shorter woman nodded, visibly relaxing a bit. "Well then I think you nailed it."

Turning back towards the mirror, Arizona decided she was just going to trust her friend. With one final sigh, she stormed out of the room, deciding if she didn't just leave now, she never would. "I hope you're right." Waving to a once again laughing Teddy as she left. "Wish me luck!"

* * *

As Callie swung open the door to her apartment, Arizona felt her stomach flip. She'd seen Callie dressed up in a tight black dress that literally caused Arizona to drool. But when Callie opened the door and revealed herself in tight black jeans and a red shirt that was loose at the top, falling sexily off one flawless shoulder, and hugged the rest of her curves perfectly with her hair casually swept to one side, Arizona could have passed out right in Callie's hallway. Especially since the Latina was dressed this way for a date with her. "Hey…" Arizona barely got the word out as all the air seemed to have left her with the sight of the woman in front of her.

"Hey _yourself_…" Callie literally spoke to Arizona's legs. Because she literally couldn't take her eyes off of them. Because they were _literally_ perfect. Toned and tanned, Callie could barely keep her mouth from hanging open at the sight of Arizona's flawlessly sculpted legs. Making her way up the rest of the blonde's body, Callie felt no shame as she saw that she was also being shamelessly looked over. A grin making its way onto her face, Callie grabbed her bag from just inside the door. "I would invite you in, but I just have a feeling that we might not make it back out if I did that. You look amazing." Stepping out of her apartment, Callie's last statement was said with a grin, her eyes trained on that perfect dimpled smile for as long as possible as she turned to lock the door.

"I look amazing? Do you own a mirror Calliope?" Arizona finally found her voice as she gestured to the unfairly sexy woman she was about to go on a date with. "I don't even know what to say except you are probably _completely_ right about not inviting me in." She shot a devilish grin at the taller woman, knowing that if Callie had suggested it, she would take her right there.

Callie laughed as they made their way out of the elevator and out of her building. Pausing as she turned them to walk in the direction of their destination, she laced her fingers in Arizona's as they continued on. "So…why do you insist on calling me Calliope?" She made sure to smile at the now visibly nervous blonde. "And before you apologize, don't. I…I don't know why, but I like it. When you say it at least."

Arizona couldn't help the smile now on her face at Calliope's distinction. _'She likes it when __**I**__ say it.' _ Looking down at their hands, she tightened her grip. "I just think it's a beautiful name." Callie couldn't hold back her scoff. "I mean it, Calliope." She looked up into those beautiful brown eyes as she spoke. "It's unique and beautiful and I don't think it's an easy name to rock, and you _totally _rock it. You're sexy, and interesting, and beautiful, just like your name." Glancing back down at their hands, Arizona was glad to see Callie still smiling when she looked back up, although, the brunette was now visibly blushing. Arizona felt her own cheeks begin to suddenly heat up. She had no idea how this woman could make her feel so nervous, but she began to realize it was a welcomed nervousness, making her feel excited at the same time.

"You are one sweet talker, Arizona Robbins." Callie bumped their hips together as she said this, a small laugh escaping her lips. "We will come back to that later though, because we are here." Her smile widened as they turned the corner to where she'd chosen as their first date.

Looking up to see where they'd arrived at, Arizona wouldn't have been able to stop her smile from widening if she'd wanted to. Extending out into the harbor was a giant boardwalk. There were all sorts of restaurants and bars and carnival type games and rides for what seemed like miles. She couldn't control the sudden surge of excitement she felt through her body. Arizona _loved_ boardwalks. Her brother always made fun of her for still being such a kid about certain things, but Arizona couldn't help it. She loved losing herself in the mindless fun a boardwalk had to offer. And funnel cake. Arizona _lived_ for funnel cake. Unable to hide her ecstasy for another second, Arizona let go of Callie's hand to clap hers together in delight.

Laughing at the heart meltingly adorable reaction her date choice got her, Callie relaxed a bit as she realized her success. "Okay, so I'm guessing it's safe to say I took the right gamble in bringing you to the boardwalk? Because to be honest, my favorite pizza place is right over there, and that's what I figured we could eat, and then I thought, ya know, since our first week of knowing each other hasn't been the smoothest, we could just walk the boardwalk and do whatever. Nothing too crazy or serious. You said fun and sexy…and I'm looking at sexy right now." She took this opportunity to rake her eyes back down the blonde's body both for emphasis and her own needs as Arizona laughed like she was nuts. "So I figured walking the boardwalk and whatever we decided to do along the way could be fun. But only if you want to. If you'd rather do something else, that's fine too."

Reaching down to take hold of Callie's hand again, Arizona leaned up on her tiptoes and kissed a tanned cheek. "First of all, you're _definitely _the one who provided the sexy tonight." She began to walk them in the direction of Callie's favorite pizza place, ignoring the scoff she got for her statement. "And second of all, I don't think you could have chosen a more perfect first date. I love pizza and I _love_ boardwalks, and I am so excited for our date, you don't even understand. I might be a sweet talker Calliope, but you sure know how to show a girl a good time." Glancing over at her date, Arizona shot the taller woman a wink as she opened the door to the pizza parlor for her. She had to consciously keep her composure in check as the Latina raised one stupidly sexy eyebrow at her as she walked passed her inside.

"I do what I can." Callie laughed as she walked passed Arizona trying to hide her reaction. If the blonde was going to try and torture her with flirty banter, she was more than prepared to give it right back. "Why don't you go find us a seat and I'll get us some slices. Pepperoni okay?"

"Sounds perfect." Arizona couldn't help herself from staring for a second as Calliope made her way over to the counter. How she had managed to find herself on a date with such a gorgeous woman, she had no idea.

Scooting into the booth, Callie placed the tray holding their pizza slices and sodas onto the table. "So…since we were talking about my name earlier, I have a question about yours. But you have to promise to not think I am an idiot if I ask it."

"Callie, I'm not going to think you're an idiot, don't be ridiculous." Arizona had no idea what about her name would spark such a conversation.

"Are you named for the battleship or the state?" Seeing the blank look she received across the table, Callie started to think Arizona spoke too soon about thinking she was an idiot. "Or I guess it's clearly something else that I'm not thinking of. I just could have sworn I remembered there being a battleship named the Arizona, but maybe I'm thinking of something else." She picked up her drink and nervously took a sip before looking up to see that Arizona was now smiling at her.

"No, I'm sorry, you're absolutely right. I am named after the battleship. I just wasn't expecting that question at all. I think you're the first person to actually ask me if I'm named after the battleship." Arizona didn't know why this made her so happy. She had long gotten over the insecurities she used to have about her name. Kids weren't always very kind about it. Needless to say, she'd learned early how to be tough and defend herself against ridicule. Since then, she'd just gotten used to people automatically associating her name with the state. Her heart began to flutter as soon as the word 'battleship' left Calliope's mouth.

Seeing how pleased the blonde seemed at her correct guess, Callie felt her own chest fill with pride. "Well, as soon as I heard your name, I thought it was so interesting, I just figured there must be a reason behind it."

Feeling herself start to laugh, Arizona took a sip from her own drink before continuing her explanation, still taken aback not only by the brunette's accuracy, but by her interest to begin with. "I don't know about all of _that_, you're probably also the first person to think my name is so interesting. Anyway, my grandfather was serving on the USS Arizona when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. He saved nineteen men, before he drowned."

"That's incredible…"

Arizona was still surprised at the brunette's genuine interest in the story behind her name. She could see in Callie's eyes that she was hanging on her every word as she spoke and it made her feel great. The story of her grandfather's sacrifice always seemed to make Arizona choke up, but looking into Callie's beautifully interested eyes, she felt herself begin to smile. "Yeah, it is. Pretty much everything my father did his whole life was about honoring that sacrifice."

"So is your dad in the…Army?"

"Marines." Arizona quickly corrected Callie, mostly out of habit. Seeing Callie's eyes widen at her snap correction, she reached her hand across the table and rubbed the back of Callie's lightly. "I'm sorry Calliope, habit. My dad's a Colonel in the Marine Corps. My brother Timothy is a Marine too. I guess you could say it's the family business." She laughed as she finished off her slice of pizza. She and her brother had always joked about serving being the 'family business'. Even when Tim had decided to enlist himself, they continued saying that he was finally 'taking over the family business'. "That's what me and Tim call it anyway, even though my mom hates it." Looking at Callie, Arizona noticed her smile shift. She was still smiling at her, but something in her eyes made Arizona feel like she could see a hint of sadness in them. It couldn't have been something _she _said could it? She'd been talking about herself, about her family. Seeing the almost vacant look in the Latina's eyes, Arizona knew she was thinking about something. "Calliope? Are you alright? You seem sad all of a sudden." Arizona rubbed her hand again to try and bring her back.

"Wha…? Oh, I'm sorry Arizona, I was listening, really, I was. I didn't realize I was stuck on my own thought for a second…" Callie hadn't noticed herself drift off while listening to Arizona. She loved hearing more about her, craved it really, but the blonde telling her about her family, and the sense of them she got just from hearing Arizona talk about them, made Callie suddenly think of her own family.

"You don't need to apologize…where'd you go just then?" She spoke with a smile and a laugh trying to ease the brunette's obvious stress.

Shaking her head with a blink and a wave of her hand, Callie took one last sip from her drink. "It's nothing, really. Just hearing you talk about your family, I can tell how much you love them, they must be great. They sound great. It just made me think about my family…" She paused, there was _no_ way she was getting into all of _that_ tonight. Tonight was fun and sexy. She had long since come to terms with her family's abandonment, she hadn't even thought about them in a while. "Let's just say, they aren't so great. But I don't want to talk about it. Not tonight at least. Tonight is fun. That story is better saved until after a few more dates." She stood up from the booth and offered the shorter woman her hand with a smile. "Come on, let's move on to the fun portion of _this_ one."

Arizona knew the brunette was being sincere, and as such, was more than okay to just have fun for the rest of the night. She definitely wanted to know the story behind Callie's apparent sadness when it came to her family, but if the sexy Latina wanted to save it for another date, more dates being an even more welcomed thought, Arizona would surely oblige. Returning the smile she was looking up into, Arizona took hold of Calliope's hand and let herself be led back outside. "Well if our other dates are as great as this one already is, I think I can make it through a few more." She shook her head at the taller woman, turning her flirt back on.

"Oh really? You think you can manage?" Callie liked how easy it was to go from a serious conversation with Arizona, right back to their flirty back and forth. She liked how easy everything felt with her. Even having only known each other for a short amount of time, she felt this crazy understanding between them that just made her immediately feel at ease. Feeling Arizona turn to face her and plant one quick, perfect, kiss on her lips only enhanced the good feelings Callie felt swirling around inside of her.

"For you? Definitely." Arizona gave Callie one last devilish smile before running in the direction of the first funnel cake stand she saw.

Callie's laugh was quickly stifled as she looked down at Arizona's toned legs as she ran off. On perfect display in the shorts she had on, Callie felt her eyes widen as she took note of every perfectly toned muscle and thought suddenly of how amazing they would look wrapped around her. _'Oh, I am __**so**__ a leg girl...'_ Wiping the dumb look she was sure she had on her face, Callie began to laugh again as Arizona made her way back, funnel cake in hand, looking every bit as excited as a little kid.

"Dessert?" Arizona held the plate containing the fried dough up as if she had just won a prize, eyeing it intensely.

"I've never eaten one of these before, is it good?" The completely dumbfounded look this question warranted her made Callie laugh harder than she had all night.

"Is it _good_? Calliope, not only is it good, but it is _so_ good, that it should be a crime that you haven't ever eaten one!" She quickly pulled off a piece that had plenty of powdered sugar and offered it to the taller woman.

"You're giving me first bite?" Callie said this with an obvious air of teasing in her tone and a sly grin on her face.

"You better take it before I change my-" The brunette cut her off by deliberately brushing her lips against her fingers as she took the bite.

"Mmmmm…" The sexy hum Callie made caused Arizona's stomach to clench. "You're right, Arizona. That was _really_ good, thank you." With a wink, Callie left the blonde standing there, mouth hanging open, funnel cake in still held up in her hand, as she started to walk down the boardwalk. "You coming?" She chose her words wisely.

Finding her wits, Arizona swallowed, and turned to follow the Latina, ripping a piece of funnel cake off for herself as she did. "You know, if I wasn't so focused on this delicious dessert, I _might_ have a comeback for that display. But since you are right, and this is really really good, I'll let you have that one, Calliope." Licking her lips when Callie turned to her, Arizona made sure she got at least a _little_ teasing fun in, unaware of what her running in shorts earlier had done to the Latina. She quickly moved the hand holding the funnel cake away when she saw the taller woman reach for another piece.

"Hey! You can't turn me on to funnel cake, and then take it away like that!" Callie feigned sadness with a pout of her lips.

Taking the opportunity to make a move, Arizona only smiled at Callie. "Always leave 'em wanting more. I can't just be giving away funnel cake for free like that! You got the first taste as a freebie, anything after that is gonna cost ya." She wiggled her eyebrows at the now giggling Latina as she offered the plate back, starting to laugh herself. Callie's laugh just made her want to laugh too, it was so infectious. She found herself captivated with just about anything the brunette did. Arizona really couldn't keep her eyes off of Callie. She found her breathtakingly stunning, and that only began with the way she looked. Which was miraculous.

"I'm sure we can work something out." Callie inched forward, shimmying her hips slightly with another giggle. She didn't think she'd ever felt so relaxed on a first date before. Even when she'd began dating Erica, there was a little bit of an awkward phase where they had to get used to each other in a romantic way. Nothing felt forced or weird with Arizona, which only made Callie want to be around her more.

After grabbing a few shots at an outside bar stand, the rest of the date was exactly how the two women wanted it to be. Sexy and fun. The walked down the boardwalk, talking and flirting, stopping when they found something that sparked their interests. Callie found out fast that Arizona had not only the excitement of a little kid, but the sugar rush of one too. She didn't think she could have found it more charming if she tried. Arizona had her laughing all night as she beat the brakes off of every carnival game they came across, the sugar rush coming in handy. They stole more than a few kisses on their Ferris wheel ride, mostly to calm Arizona's fear of heights after she jumped on thinking she could handle it for the sake of her awesome date. The liquid courage she'd accrued quickly faded halfway up. Callie could see Arizona's pout as they got off, but she just smiled at how cute Arizona had been all night and pulled her in by the waist as they made their way off the boardwalk, and back towards her apartment.

"I think it's cute, really." Callie tried to reassure the embarrassed blonde.

"You think it's cute to get all shaky and panicked on a _boardwalk ride_?" Arizona hung her mouth open to emphasize her disbelief.

Callie stepped in front of the blonde, pretending to be deep in thought for a moment. "Mmmm…in general? Nope. But when you _specifically_ do it? Yeah, I'm going to have to say it was cute, sorry." She knew Arizona was well aware she was sorry for nothing. Smiling at the sarcastic chuckle she got in return, Callie didn't notice the bicyclist who was speeding down the street about to take the corner she was stepping off of very sharply.

"Callie, watch out!" Arizona saw the rider just in time, and was able to grab the brunette by her elbow and pull her back, but this threw the taller woman _way_ off balance.

With a gasp at the sudden tug, Callie braced herself for the feel of pavement under her ass, but was met instead by strong _'Holy crap, she's strong!' _arms wrapping around her torso, holding her complete weight, keeping her from falling to the ground. Looking up, she was met by piercing, blue eyes, filled with concern. Their faces were very close, Arizona's hanging over her own, her blonde hair falling like a wall around them. Callie couldn't think. The shock of almost getting hit, of how Arizona's surprisingly strong arms held her up, and the intense smell of coconut shampoo now consuming her senses had her mind drawing a blank.

Arizona's face softened as she brought the Latina back to a standing position, her hand never leaving the small of the taller woman's back. "Calliope, are you alright?" Her body relaxed as she saw a smile creep across Callie's face. _'At least she's not hurt. That scared the shit out of me.'_ Arizona tried not to let on how fast her heart was beating as she waited for the brunette to answer.

"Yeah, I'm…I'm fine." Still having to take deep breaths to steady herself, she couldn't stop herself from smiling. "You…you're…" Gesturing to the blonde, she could see the shorter woman's eyebrows raise in both confusion and question. Callie took one more deep breath and finally got her breathing slowed. "How…the _HECK_…are you _that_ strong? I thought my ass was done for, and then you just…caught me." Callie simply couldn't believe that the small blonde in front of her was as strong as she so obviously was. Callie felt her strength, her strong arms wrapping tightly around her body, as she held her safely off the ground.

With this, Arizona's sly smile was back. Walking up to the beautiful woman she'd just caught, she grabbed her hand and continued their walking. "Oh Calliope, I can't just tell you _all _of my secrets on the first date, now can I?" She couldn't fight the blush that swept across her own face as she looked up at the dreamy smile her heroics had planted on her date's.

Making their way back up to Callie's front door, the blonde stopped them before Callie could unlock it. Receiving a questioning look from the brunette, Arizona smiled up at her to explain, trying to gather her nerve. "Callie, I had a great time tonight. Like, really, really great. I like you…a _lot_." She looked down at her feet, suddenly shy for some reason. She didn't quite know how to say what she wanted to say without sounding presumptuous. "I…I just…I don't think we should…" _'Damn it, Arizona, stop being an idiot. She's awesome, she'll understand.'_ Feeling fingers under her chin, she let Callie lift her face so she was looking into the deep brown eyes that made her knees weak. She could feel her nerves melt away as Callie's mega-watt smile spread across her face.

"I like you a lot too, Arizona…" Callie's smile grew as she saw those heart breaking dimples appear before her. "And I don't think we should move too fast either. So I'm not even going to invite you inside, because if I did, I wouldn't be able to stop myself."

Arizona didn't know if she sprang forward because of how seamlessly Callie was able to understand her, or because of the thought of Callie not being able to control herself with her, but Arizona found her lips meeting lusciously full ones faster than her mind could follow. She wove her fingers into silky brown hair as she felt Callie's do the same in hers. She took a step forward, pushing Callie slightly against her door, pressing their hips together. Arizona felt the whisper of a moan against her lips as the brunette moved her hands from her blonde tresses down to her hips and around her back, pulling her closer. They remained pressed against each other as they parted lips, the need for air becoming something neither one could ignore any longer. After breathing each other in for a few seconds with their foreheads pressed to one another's, Arizona finally lifted herself from the brunette's body, trying to quiet the storm happening below her belt as she did. "I'm…" She had to cough to get the rasp of being _incredibly_ turned on out of her throat. "I'm sorry…I just-" Her apology was cut off by one last, quick kiss on the lips from the obviously equally turned on Latina.

"That." She made sure the blonde was looking her in the eyes to know how serious she was being. "Is not something you need to ever apologize for, trust me. But once again, I am right." Arizona's questioning eyes returned. "It was probably a good idea not inviting you in." Callie added a sexy wink to this point, making Arizona laugh again.

"Or a _really_ bad one." Arizona winked right back, just because she was taking it slow, didn't mean she had to turn off the flirty banter. Callie laughed and then looked right into her eyes, making Arizona's breath hitch as she looked back, feeling like Callie was looking right into her.

"Thank you…for catching me earlier." Callie couldn't explain it, but she couldn't shake how secure she'd felt being completely held up by the gorgeous blonde woman. She wished she could feel that way all of the time.

Arizona smiled, leaned onto her tip toes, and placed a soft kiss onto Callie's cheek. "Anytime Calliope. Have a good night." And with that, she turned and walked back towards the elevators, leaving Callie with yet another dreamy smile on her face.

_'__I'll catch you every time you fall, if you'll let me.'_

* * *

**Work has NOT let up in the past few weeks. I'm sorry for the slow updates. Hopefully that will change soon! I hope you guys enjoy this one :) **


	11. Heads Up

"I still can't believe you guys didn't do it…" Teddy took a long swig form her beer while sitting across from Arizona at their table at Joe's. It had been a week since Arizona and Callie's first date and the Latina had been out of town since then.

"I'm sorry, what?" Arizona pretended not to know what her taller friend was talking about.

"You and Callie. I don't know, I guess just knowing the two of you…I'm surprised it didn't happen." She shrugged her shoulders and finished off her beer while Arizona tried to look offended. "Oh come on, you know what I mean. You're both incredibly hot. She _literally_ just got out of a mostly sex relationship that had recently turned into a mostly _bad _sex relationship." Arizona still couldn't stand being reminded about Callie's most recent 'relationship'. That just so happened to have been with a man. "And you…" Teddy gestured to her friend. "Well you know how _you_ usually are…sack jumper." Teddy began to laugh to herself. In her single life, Arizona usually kept it fun and short. Very short. "Actually…come to think about it, it's probably a good idea you guys _didn't _sleep together!" At this, Teddy excitedly looked back up at her less than amused best friend like she'd just solved a really difficult riddle. Arizona couldn't help but laugh.

"Eureka!" She took her index finger and poked at her own nose for emphasis. "That's exactly _why_ we didn't sleep together, genius! Well, we didn't actually discuss it…we kind of just both decided in the moment to take it slower. I didn't even step foot inside her apartment." Arizona's eyes began to glaze over as she thought back to that steamy kiss she shared with the gorgeous Latina a week earlier.

"Ladies!" Arizona was suddenly shocked out of her day dream by a firm pat on the back as Mark Sloan greeted them, a fresh round of beers in his hands. "How you guys doing?" He looked between the two women, huge smile adorning his slightly drunk face as he placed the beers on the table.

"Oh, nothing…we were just discussing Arizona's date with Ca-OW!" A sharp kick from underneath the table halted Teddy's words. She met eyes with the icy stare of her shorter friend.

"Robbins…you…you went on a date with a cow?!" The drunk man had a look a sheer shock on his face. "I knew you weren't interested in men but…" Mark began to chuckle. He knew Arizona and Callie had been on a date, but in his buzzed state, he just couldn't help himself. "Hey! Alright!" He was met with his own swift hit as Arizona brought her fist to his upper arm. "I surrender! Geeze…" He began to rub his arm, but his smile couldn't be stifled. "I already know you and Cal went on a date Arizona, I'm just giving you a hard time. Did you guys-" The threatening glare Arizona shot him, made him swallow the rest of his question and take a sip of his own drink instead.

"We _were_ discussing my date, but we are done doing that now. Why don't we switch subjects instead to how _Teddy's _date last week went? Or how about where she was last night _and_ this morning?" Arizona was going to let her best friend get away with not making it back to their apartment from her date last night until around lunch time today, but decided against it once Teddy had opened her big mouth.

Teddy almost spit out the first sip of the beer Mark had just given her when Arizona spoke. "Wha…what? What are you talking about? I-I-I…I don't know _what_ you're talking about." Teddy tried to look in the opposite direction to hide the flushed look her face had suddenly taken on.

"Mmhmm, okay Teds…I gotcha." Arizona shook her head and winked at her now bright red buddy while Mark bursted into a fit of man giggles brought on by his fourth shot.

"You guys are too much. So where's Callie tonight?" He looked around, trying to spot the gorgeous brunette.

"She's still out of town." Arizona answered and couldn't help the slight pout to her lips as she did.

"No, I'm pretty sure she got back today. She asked me if I was going to be here tonight." Mark kept looking around. Arizona felt her stomach twist when Mark said Calliope was back. She wondered why she hadn't heard from her. _'Get it together, Robbins, you went on one date. That doesn't mean anything, it certainly didn't __**used**__ to mean anything to you. Why would she have texted you her first day back?'_ She tried to keep her face happy while she wrestled with the swirling thoughts that always seemed to consume her head whenever she thought about Calliope. "There! Knew she was back!" Arizona followed Mark's gaze towards the bar, finally spotting the amazingly sexy brunette walking up to it to order a drink. Arizona felt her heart swell when the Latina turned around, her glowing smile finally in view. "Excuse me ladies, I'm gonna go say hello." Mark got up to leave, but not before he saw Arizona's face fall almost to the floor. She noticed that as Callie tuned around, she had two drinks in her hand. One, she took a big swig of herself, the other she handed to the person she was there with…a very tall, _very_ attractive red headed woman. Apparently the redhead said something hilarious, because Callie threw her head back in laughter.

"Who is _that_?" Mark heard the bitterness in Arizona's voice as he got up to leave. He knew instantly that Callie might be in for a rough night.

Teddy, seeing the change in her best friend tried to put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, but was quickly nudged off. Knowing Arizona was going into defense mode, Teddy did her best to get her to stop. "Arizona…"

"Don't Teddy. I'm fine. It was one date. What does that mean anyway, right?" Arizona began to bite the inside of her bottom lip, something she often did when really upset. She could also feel a wave of tears threatening their way out, but she quickly stifled them back. _'NO. No crying. How could I have been so stupid? Why should I have thought that after one date anything could be that good? No…no, it really was that good. Calliope was great, and she seemed so…so genuine. What changed?...Guess that's why she didn't call…Obviously it was all just some stupid game. And you fell for it. Well…no more. Better it just happens now anyway.' _

"Arizona, come on-"

"I said don't, alright!?" Arizona didn't mean to be so harsh. She was just freaking out a bit at how strongly she was reacting to Calliope being on a date. This was _exactly_ why she didn't get into relationships in the first place. Why she didn't do _feelings_ at all. It always just led to someone feeling like this. And she promised herself a long time ago that she was not going to feel like this again.

"Ookay…fine." Teddy held up her hands and went back to her drink and let her friend go back to stewing about Callie. She, of course, _knew_ who the red head with Callie was, but since her friend wanted to be so freaking stubborn, (_aaand_ since she'd called her out not five minutes prior) Teddy was going to let her. She just hoped Callie was up for it too.

* * *

Trying to catch her breath, Callie wiped a tear from her eye as she took another sip of her drink. "I swear, you are just too ruthless! That poor guy just wanted to buy you a drink." She tried to hold a serious look on her face, but failed as soon as she was met with the stunned look of her friend.

"Well, then maybe he should have asked _me_ and not my boobs, Callie! I tend to take offense when someone tries to get my _chest_ drunk!" Addison Montgomery gave her once again hysterically laughing best friend a swat on the arm as she herself continued to laugh.

"Well, it's not his fault that you wore heels tonight and have now made your boobs eye level with pretty much every guy in here!" Callie turned to Joe behind the bar, gesturing for two tequila shots. She and Addison had just arrived at Joe's after getting to town earlier that day. Callie had been in New York visiting Addison like she always did when the red head returned to the east coast from her school in California. This time, Addison decided to return to Boston with Callie for a while.

"Whatever, either his neck can make the effort to look at my face, or I'm not wasting my time." With a wave of her hand, she quickly changed the subject. "So anyway, tell me more about this girl you are all hung up on. I can't _tell_ you how happy I am that you decided to dump that loser frat boy finally." Addison cocked her dangerously long eyebrow at her friend. She'd never been kind _or _shy about her opinion of Callie's most recent ex, but that's why Callie loved her. If _anyone_ was going to be brutally honest with the fiery Latina, it was the _equally _fiery red head.

"I'm not hung up, we went on one date, and it was really…awesome. That's all." She knew her friend didn't believe her. She didn't believe herself. Callie wasn't even sure hung up was the correct way to describe how she felt about Arizona. Utterly and completely mesmerized seemed a _little_ more accurate.

"Oh please Cal, you wouldn't shut up about her the entire time we were in New York! I know it was just one date, but apparently that was _more _than enough to hang you up. Soo…when do I get to meet her?"

"Well, I talked to Mark earlier today, and he said that Arizona and Teddy were probably going to be here tonight. So I guess tonight?" She couldn't help her smile widen at the thought of getting to see Arizona tonight. She'd thought about texting her as soon as they'd made it back to town, but she didn't want to seem too eager. They were supposed to be taking things slow, after all.

Callie was so lost in her thoughts and in turning around to get their second round of tequila shots that she didn't notice her tall friend quickly scan the crowd and pick out Teddy sitting at a table with another _very _attractive blonde. Addison couldn't help her almost subconscious nod of approval at just how striking this woman was. Her being completely straight didn't stop her from being able to acknowledge the _obvious_ attractiveness of another woman. She noticed the tension at the table and could just feel that the shorter blonde had just been looking in Callie's direction. Not being one to sit back and wait for results, the red head began to formulate a small plan. Being an incredibly protective friend, and feeling confident that she would have the right audience, Addison decided to gage for herself the blonde's feelings for her best friend. When Callie turned around with their shots, Addison leaned in, placing a hand high on her friend's thigh, and whispered in her ear. "You said your girl was going to be here with Teddy?" She pulled back slowly, and held in a laugh as she saw the confused look on her friend's face, waited a few seconds, then glanced over her shoulder. The cold as ice stare she was receiving from bright blue eyes was enough to tell her that Arizona had some _serious _feelings for her friend. And that's all Addison needed to know for now, as she let her laughter finally fall.

"Uhh…yeah, they will probably be here together…what…what was that?" Callie knew her friend was up to something. They didn't just touch each other like that and whisper into each other's ears. She had to shove her friend to halt her laughter. "Addy, come on, what _was_ that?"

"Nothing Cal, I just wanted to see for myself how much that blonde of yours likes you. And from the death glare that move just got me, I'm going to go ahead and assume a lot." Addison gestured over her shoulder with her thumb as she saw Callie quickly start to scan the mass of people surrounding them.

Callie followed Addison's finger and finally saw the slim slumped figure of Teddy at one of the tables. Turning her attention to perfectly fallen blonde curls, she could feel Arizona about to turn her head and make eye contact with her, when her view was blocked by a tall, drunk Mark Sloan.

"Hey Cal, heads up. Blondie over there thinks you're doing Red." He poked his thumb out to gesture to Addison as he spoke.

It took a second for Mark's words to sink in after Callie got over her initial annoyance of his body blocking her view of flawlessness. "Mark you jus-…wait what? What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about that _obviously _pissed off blonde woman over there torturing Teddy. She saw you come in with Addy, and from the look on her face when she saw you guys, I think she thinks that you two are…ya know…" He finished his statement with a rude hand gesture that got him a swift smack on the back of the head from the taller woman. "Hey! Come on! There is way too much of that going around tonight!" He held up his arms in defense. "It's nice to see you too, Addison."

"Always a pleasure, Mark, but maybe all of that going around should tell you something about yourself." Another cocked eyebrow.

"Well I've always known the ladies have a hard time keeping their hands off of me." He ran off just as both woman raised their hands to strike. He was drunk and feeling playful, but he wasn't stupid.

"Well I guess you better go deal with that." Addison pointed towards the blonde's table. "I'm sure my little stunt didn't help at all, so it's probably best you go alone first. I'll get us some more drinks." With that, the red head turned back to the bar as Callie just stared at the table across the room from her. She could tell Arizona was avoiding looking in their direction now.

_'__How could she think that I would do that? I know we've only been on one date, and I know we don't know each other __**that**__ well, but still…'_ Callie couldn't help but feel a little hurt. They'd had a great time and she felt so connected to the smaller woman. She knew they didn't know much about each other, but she thought they at least had some sort of understanding. Feeling Addison's hand on her shoulder shook her back to reality.

"Look Cal, just talk to her. And don't try and pretend that you wouldn't get mad if you saw _her_ walk in here with a tall sexy red head before you knew what the whole story was." With a wink and a small shove in the right direction, Callie's nerves settled a little. Addison was right, Callie more often times than not would let her fiery emotions get the best of her before she knew the whole story. Hell, she herself probably would have stormed right up to the bar to give the blonde a piece of her mind if the roles were reversed. She thought back to her and Arizona talking about their past and how Arizona tried to keep herself safe behind her walls. Callie felt her own chest clench as she realized that the blonde was probably more hurt than anything else. Making her way to the table, she finally made eye contact with the blonde. The cold look in her eyes told Callie that her walls were already being put back into place. Callie wasn't going to let this one get away from her that easily.

"Hey guys, what's up?" Callie tried to sound casual.

"Hey Cal." Callie could see the warning look in Teddy's eyes and she knew she was in for it.

"Hi." Arizona's tight smile made Callie's heart hurt. She decided it was probably best to just dive right in.

"Look, Arizona, I know what you're probably thinking, but-" She was quickly cut off.

"It's fine Callie." She cringed, knowing Arizona used her shortened name on purpose. "You don't have to explain anything to me. You're a grown woman; you can do whatever or, or _whoever_ you want." That last distinction stung. "We went on one date, and it was fun, but we never said anything about seeing other people. So don't worry about me, just go ahead and do whatever it is you do." Arizona focused on keeping her jaw clenched to stifle the tremble threatening to break across her bottom lip. Her heart threatened to beat right out of her chest.

_'__Whatever it is I do?! What's __**that**__ supposed to mean?' _Callie knew Arizona was hurt, and she'd prepared herself to let her say whatever she needed to say, but Callie could feel herself starting to get a little hurt as well.

"Arizona, I'm not…I mean, I don't…" Callie suddenly lost track of what she was trying to say.

"I said don't worry about it Callie, okay? I know how to take care of myself, I don't _need_ you to worry about me, alright? I am perfectly fine with you wanting to go out with your hot friend over there, so just go to it, okay?" With this Arizona suddenly became enthralled with the table in front of her, no longer confident with keeping eye contact with the brunette without tears falling. She hadn't expected to say everything she'd just said, but she hadn't expected to feel the way she felt about Calliope either. She kicked herself for getting so attached so quickly. It'd just felt so easy with Callie, she didn't feel the need to be so guarded, but now she knew that must have been a mistake.

Taking this opportunity to look at the taller blonde, Callie shook her head, mentally asking Teddy for some help. She knew Teddy was aware of who Addison was, them having met multiple times over the years, and knew that Arizona was upset over nothing. Teddy just looked at her like she was at a loss herself. Almost as if they were on the same wave length, their eyes widened at each other as they both came to the exact same idea. Callie raised her eyebrows, asking Teddy if this new tactic would work, and Teddy gave her the 'why the hell not? She deserves it' look. Receiving the go head, Callie switched up her game.

"Well actually, it's good that you're okay with it, because…I was wondering if you'd like to join us?" Callie had to bite down painfully on her own tongue to keep her face serious as Arizona's face shot up from the table.

"Uhh…I'm sorry, but _what_?" Arizona's mouth hung open in shock. She couldn't believe her ears. She must have been _way_ off base when it came to Callie. _Clearly_ she was not who Arizona thought she was.

"Well you know, since you're so okay with it and all…" Callie gestured to Addison at the bar for her to come over, knowing it would set the blonde on edge. "I just think you're so awesome, and I just know the two of you would get along. Just…just meet her, okay?" As Arizona watched in terror as Addison made her way over, Callie winked at Teddy who looked about ready to pass out from the laughter she was holding inside.

"Ca..Callie, no. No, I-I…I can't." Arizona's mouth could not form words. She couldn't believe the situation she was being put in. _'Wow, you sure know how to pick 'em, Robbins.' _She looked across the table at her best friend, and from the look on her face, Arizona could tell she was going to be zero help. "Callie, I'm…I'm not comfortable with-"

"Arizona Robbins, meet Addison Montgomery. My oldest, best, and quite possibly, _straightest_ friend." Callie introduced the two, hoping Arizona would forgive her.

"Nice to finally meet you, Arizona. Cal wouldn't shut up about you the entire week she's been at my place." Addison held out her hand to the completely stunned blonde, not knowing what she'd just walked into or why Callie and Teddy were caught in a fit of laughter.

"So…so you're not…" Arizona looked between Callie and her best friend as she took the taller woman's hand, half dazed. _'Friend?! They're just friends? Callie was visiting her __**friend**__? You are such a fucking idiot!...She wouldn't shut up about me?'_ Arizona tried to hide the smirk threatening to break at the corner of her mouth once she realized what was going on and what the red head had just said.

"Gay? Nope, I'm a pretty huge fan of penis. Although, Callie _did_ try to kiss me once, but that was _years _ago and we were really, really drunk, so I let her have it." Addison winked at her brunette friend as her laughter quickly died and was replaced with a Torres glare.

"I still maintain that you tried to kiss me." Callie shoved Teddy as her laughter only grew from this new discovery.

"I…I thought that…" Arizona was still trying to recover from going from incredibly hurt to pissed off to wildly confused all in a matter of seconds. She shook her head, now completely embarrassed by her recent behavior.

"Yeah, we are all aware of what you thought, but since your stubborn ass wouldn't let anyone tell you how wrong you were…well, that's just what you get." Teddy gave her shorter friend an assuring pat on the back before she turned and began to catch up with Addison, leaving Arizona to look up apologetically into amused brown eyes.

"I'm…I'm so sorry Callie." Arizona let her head hang, unable to meet the beautiful woman's gaze any longer. She knew she'd once again let her mouth run wild, saying stupid, mean things. It was starting to become a pattern, and she wouldn't be surprised if it was a pattern the brunette was done dealing with. It didn't take long for caramel fingers to push up under her chin, forcing her to look back up.

"You don't have to be sorry. Trust me, it would have been much worse if it had been you walking in here with a tall red head. Let's just say, I wouldn't have been able to just stay at this table like you did." Callie laughed as she thought through what her reaction might have been.

"Really?" Arizona couldn't help but feel her stomach flip at the thought of Callie being jealous of her with someone else. She could feel herself begin to relax again, knowing that Callie wasn't on a date with some other woman.

"Yes really. I told you, Arizona; I really, really like you…And I missed you this week." Callie hadn't planned on telling her this last part, but seeing Arizona's reaction to her being on a date made her feel safe that it wouldn't scare her off.

"I missed you too…" Looking back down, Arizona wondered how this woman continued to make her feel shy, it being an emotion that she was _completely_ unfamiliar with.

"Good." Callie smiled and took the smaller woman's hand. "So does that mean you'll dance with me?" Throwing in a wink for good measure got the most adorable giggle from the blonde.

"Of course I'll dance with you, Calliope." She couldn't help how giddy the gorgeous Latina made her feel and even though she never considered herself much of a dancer, she'd go anywhere that beautiful woman wanted to go.

"Mmmm, there's the name I've been waiting to hear." Callie still didn't know why, but hearing her full name fall from Arizona's lips set her whole body on fire. She eagerly led them to the dance floor, wanting nothing more than to push her tingling body against Arizona's.

As the music blasted around them, Callie rolled her hips in time with the beat, pulling Arizona's body close into hers. She put her hands on slim hips as she slid her thigh in between Arizona's legs. Arizona placed her hands on the back of Callie's neck, gently playing with her hair as she allowed herself to be moved.

"I'm sorry I'm not a very good dancer." Arizona stared deep into brown eyes and was surprised to see no judgment.

"I don't see _anything_ wrong with what you are doing." Callie just smiled, moving her hands up from Arizona's hips to around her back, pulling her in closer, their bodies moving perfectly with the music.

Arizona had no idea how Calliope could make all of her insecurities float away with one look, but suddenly it was as if it was just the two of them on the dance floor. All she could see was Callie and how well their bodies moved together. She felt a shiver run up her spine as the brunette seamlessly turned her around so her back was now flush with Callie's front. She snaked her hands up through smooth brown hair and felt goosebumps erupt all over her body as she felt Callie's lips ghost over her neck. Feeling Callie's fingers dig into her hips and make her ass grind ever harder than it already was made Arizona gasp with delight. She felt another wave of goosebumps as the sexiest husky voice whispered in her ear.

"I know we didn't talk about seeing other people, and I know we've only been on one date, but just so you are aware…I don't plan on sharing you with anybody…that is, if you're okay with that." The slight whimper Callie heard escape Arizona's mouth was enough of an answer for her and she quickly spun the blonde back around so she could connect their lips in a searing hot kiss. She could feel Arizona's grip in her hair tighten and knew that they were going to be okay after tonight's misunderstanding.

Breaking the kiss for air, Arizona had to force herself to form words, especially after looking up into the most beautifully complicated eyes she'd ever seen. "I am _more _than okay with that, Calliope. And I'm sure you can already tell that I don't plan on sharing _you_ with anybody either."

Callie laughed as she brought her lips back down to land on the softest lips she'd ever kissed. Continuing their dancing, Callie couldn't wipe off the giant grin she had on her face.

_'__There's nobody who could even __**compete**__ with you, Arizona.'_

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**Quicker update! Yay! I'm glad some of you seemed to enjoy the last chapter. I hope you like this one too. I didn't want to just jump right into another date, and this let me bring in another character I love ;) As always, love the feedback! **


	12. No More Waiting

**Just a little warning, this chapter makes some use of the 'M' rating I placed on this story...**

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Callie danced around her kitchen, singing along to her favorite playlist of songs in Spanish. Singing was something Callie did often to calm her nerves. She was a whiz in the kitchen and could make a mouthwatering meal with her eyes closed, but tonight, she wanted everything to be perfect. After the misunderstanding at Joe's, Callie invited Arizona over to her place for a dinner date. She knew it was probably dangerous to have the blonde over in her apartment, but she wanted to cook for her and show Arizona that she was the only person Callie had any interest in. Callie knew they were supposed to be taking things slow, and after their old fashioned high school make out session in the bathroom at Joe's after dancing all over each other the other night, she knew it was only a matter of time until their lusts took over. But after weighing the options, she'd decided to go ahead and risk it, her chicken piccata was worth it. Taking a long sip of her red wine, Callie glanced over her work and deemed her dinner perfect.

Standing outside of Callie's apartment, Arizona took a deep breath to settle herself. She could hear the Latina singing inside and couldn't stop a huge smile from spreading across her face. _'As if the she wasn't perfect enough, she also sings'._ Arizona could just feel her resolve at them continuing to take it slow melt as she listened to Callie belt out some song in Spanish. Hell, they'd almost broken down in the bathroom at Joe's a few nights earlier during a particularly hot make out session. Her body began to tingle as she replayed their tryst in her mind. She wasn't quite sure what it was about the fiery Latina that made her feel so strongly so fast, but Arizona could already feel herself beginning to fall for her. It both scared the shit out of her and made her feel incredibly excited. She'd never felt such an instant connection with anyone before, but Arizona somehow just felt _drawn_ to this woman. After one last deep breath, she brought her hand up and knocked on the door, patiently awaiting the start to what was sure to be an amazing night.

"Coming!"

Arizona smiled at Calliope's choice of word as she listened to the muffled sound of feet running across the floor. She had to hold in the gasp that threatened to escape her as the door came flying open, revealing the sexy brunette in _short_ black work out shorts and a fitted quarter length sleeve white Harvard t-shirt. Her hair was thrown up in a messy bun and Arizona didn't think she'd ever seen someone look so drop dead gorgeous in such casual clothes. Her almost glowing tan skin contrasting with the stark white t-shirt and the way her legs seemed to go on for _miles_ made Arizona feel dangerously close to drooling. She _loved_ dressed up knock-out Callie, but this Callie, the dressed down, slightly flushed from making dinner, perfectly "thrown together" Callie was quickly becoming her favorite.

"Hey! Come in…" Following Arizona's gaze down her body, Callie felt herself blush. "Sorry, I got so caught up in making dinner, I didn't really have time to change. I just figured, ya know, we're staying in tonight…" She looked back down at herself, holding her arms out to each side.

"No, Calliope, you should never change. You look…" Arizona couldn't even finish her thought as she finally peeled her eyes away from the goddess' body and looked into her eyes. "You look amazing…" She smiled and leaned up to place a feather light kiss on the taller woman's lips as she walked inside.

"And you look _hot_!" Callie didn't bother hiding her gaze as the shorter woman walked passed her into the apartment. Arizona was wearing light jeans that fit her ass perfectly and a dark blue fitted V-neck t-shirt with a dip that teased dangerously at her cleavage. It was simple, but with that ass, and those eyes, simple is really all you need to be breathtaking. "How can you make jeans and a t-shirt look that amazing?"

Arizona just laughed at this as she spun on the spot to face the Latina. "Me look amazing? You literally _forgot_ _to get dressed_ and you're still the hottest thing I've ever seen!" She held out her hands towards the bombshell in front of her for emphasis before even realizing exactly what she'd just said. The smirk now adorning Callie's face let Arizona know she's not the only one who noticed it.

"The hottest thing you've _ever_ seen, huh?" The wiggling of long brown eyebrows lets Arizona know she at least hasn't freaked Callie out. Given her the upper hand, of course, but freaked her out? Seems like a no.

"Oh please, you know you're gorgeous. You don't need me telling you that." Arizona tried to maintain a straight face and play it off, but the sexy little steps the Latina was taking in her direction forced a smile.

"Oh, you see, that's where you're wrong, Arizona Robbins." Closing the space between them, Callie wrapped her arms around a small waist, pulling the blonde closer to her. "Because I most certainly _do_ need you telling me things like that. Always."

"Is that so?" Wrapping her arms around a tan neck, Arizona smiled up at Callie. "And why is that, Calliope?" Truth be told, she could go on all day and them some about Calliope's beauty, but she wasn't just going to let her win that easily.

"Because just hearing you say my name sets my whole body on fire." Callie had no other answer to give but the truth.

Arizona could see the intensity in the brown eyes looking down at her, and she could feel the truth in Callie's words. Words that immediately sent a shiver down her spine as she cupped tan cheeks in her hands and pulled the taller woman down for another kiss. A kiss that started soft, but quickly deepened as they both realized just how much their bodies craved one another. Arizona felt Callie trace her bottom lip with her tongue and she immediately granted access, unable to suppress the slight moan as she did. She could feel Callie's grip around her waist tighten and with it, she could feel her core start to heat up. Both woman were about two seconds away from forgetting all about dinner when a loud **_*DING*_** came from the kitchen.

"Damn it!" Arizona couldn't help but laugh a little at the frustration in Callie's voice as she quickly pulled out of their embrace and ran back into the kitchen. Brushing her hands through blonde hair, she took a deep breath and tried to center herself again. Following the brunette into the kitchen, she found a sight that was no help at all with putting out the fire happening inside of her. Callie was bent over grabbing some bread out of the oven. The front row view of Callie's voluptuous behind Arizona was then affronted with was so perfectly seductive, she was _this_ close to saying _'fuck it'_ and taking her right there in the kitchen. She didn't avert her eyes fast enough and was quickly met with a sexy chuckle as a kitchen towel was thrown at her head, making direct contact as she was still caught in her daze. "Eyes up here, Robbins. If we are ever going to get through this meal, you have to behave yourself and not look at me like that! I spent a lot of time cooking this and it is perfect, if I do say so myself, so we are not going to ruin it by having sex all over my kitchen. And _don't_ think that just because we haven't known each other that long that I don't know that's _exactly_ what you were just thinking!" She playfully points her finger at the shorter woman for emphasis when Arizona opened her mouth, trying to interrupt.

"Well, I don't see _how_ you expect me to behave myself with you all bent over in those shorts." Giving Callie's ass a slight smack for emphasis as she walked around her, Arizona added a wink and took a seat across from her at the breakfast bar. "I can't be held accountable for my actions." She giggled along with Callie while accepting the glass of wine the brunette poured for her. Arizona knew it was only their second actual date, but she was so comfortable around Callie, that she almost felt like they'd already known each other for years.

Dinner passed quickly, Arizona almost falling off of her stool after trying Callie's meal and finding out just how talented the Latina was in the kitchen. They talked about everything it seemed, and the conversation was smooth and easy until Arizona stood up to get some more wine and asked about a picture she noticed on the fridge.

"Is this your sister?" Arizona saw the picture hanging on the fridge of a younger Callie with someone who could almost be her twin. She turned back from the picture just in time to see the flash of sadness on the taller woman's face as she took a rather large sip of wine.

"Mmhmm, yeah…that's her. Aria. She's a year younger than I am." Callie hoped the topic of her family could be avoided for a little bit longer, but she could quickly see those hopes being dashed.

Arizona could still see the unhappiness in Callie's beautifully expressive eyes. "I get the feeling you don't really like to talk about your family…" The blonde didn't want to make the other woman feel pushed or rushed, but she desperately wanted to know what the cause of such sadness was when it came to her family.

"It's not that, really. I just…I usually try to find other, happier things to talk about." Callie forced a small laugh as she finished off her wine and allowed Arizona to refill her glass.

"We don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, Calliope." Arizona placed a comforting hand on a tanned arm as she sat back down next to the brunette.

Looking up into clear blue eyes that showed nothing but care and understanding, Callie sighed and couldn't help but smile as the blondes hand began to rub her arm soothingly. "No it's fine. If we're going to be dating, you're going to have to hear it eventually. And it really isn't like this big, dramatic story, it's just…well, you'll see. How about I clean up in here really quick, and then I'll meet you on the couch with more wine?" The Latina stood, and began to grab their empty plates to rinse off and throw in the dishwasher.

Arizona smiled at the fact that Calliope said they were dating as she got up and made her way to the couch. Wrapping herself up in a blanket, Arizona thought about how relaxed she felt in the brunette's apartment. Sure, Callie's decorating style was a little…dark and…frowny, but the entire placed smelled like Callie, a smell Arizona was quickly becoming obsessed with.

As Callie grabbed another bottle of wine and began to walk towards the couch, she couldn't help how happy she suddenly felt at the sight in front of her. She could _definitely_ get used to seeing the blonde wrapped up in a blanket looking adorably relaxed on her couch. After topping off both wine glasses, Callie took a seat on the other side of the couch.

"So…my family." Laughing nervously, Callie took another long sip of wine. Arizona just sat and waited for her beautifully vulnerable date to gather her words. "I mean, there isn't really much to say. We don't talk anymore. Haven't in…" She scrunched up her face, having not actually thought about how long it had been in a while. "Well I guess it's been about three and a half years now." Callie looked down at her hands, it always made her sad when she thought about her situation with her family. No matter what went down, they were still her family and she would be lying if she said she didn't miss them.

"What happened?" Arizona could tell the other woman needed a little push to continue.

"My first girlfriend happened." The brunette scoffed sarcastically at how stupid it all was. Seeing how the blonde's eyes widened, Callie could see she was catching on as to what occurred. "Me liking girls wasn't anything I ever really…explored before I came to school. I was always aware of it when I was younger, but growing up in an _incredibly_ Catholic home kind of deterred me from testing those waters. I love my parents, and they did everything for me, so I wasn't about to do anything that might have disappointed them." Callie still felt angry about the fact that the thought of her being gay would have been a disappointment to her parents, but she did love them. Fidgeting with her wine glass, Callie pushed back her confusing feelings towards her family so she could continue, reminding herself that she'd come to terms with it already and moved on. "Once I was here at school though, there really wasn't anything holding me back, and I was free to do whatever I felt was right for me. So I ended up dating this girl my freshman year. It was great, but it wasn't anything too serious. We had fun together and I was just trying to figure myself out. Anyway, about halfway through my freshman year, my girlfriend and I were at my apartment, when all of a sudden, my dad shows up." The strained expression on Arizona's face in anticipation of what came next made Callie laugh a little bit. "Yeah. So you can imagine how well he took a half-naked chick in his daughter's bed. Needless to say, I was mortified, even more so when after she ran out the door and I came into the living room, he immediately began quoting bible verses to me."

"No…he didn't." Arizona brought her fingertips up to her mouth in shock.

"Ooooh yes, yes he did. So we have it out pretty bad right there; him continuing to yell bible verses while I cried and yelled something along the lines of 'you can't pray away the gay' which, looking back now, was probably the craziest thing for all of my neighbors to have to hear." A genuine laugh fell from Callie lips as she thought back on how crazy that day was. Maybe it was the time that had past, maybe it was the wine, or maybe it was the presence of a certain beautiful blonde, but Callie suddenly didn't feel so horrible about how crappy her relationship with her family was. "Anyway, he told me that I was to come home immediately, that this 'environment' was tainting my good judgment, and that I would continue my studies at the University of Miami so I could be closer to them. When I refused and told him that a change of environment wasn't going to change me, he threatened to cut me off, to extinguish my trust fund, and to discontinue paying for my school. He told me I was going to hell, that it was an abomination, yada, yada, yada." Callie waved her hands in the air as she leaned forward to pour more wine into her now, once again, empty glass.

"That's terrible…" Arizona didn't really know what to say. She didn't know how she would have reacted if her parents had been anything but loving and supportive of her.

"Yeah, it was. And it ruined me for a while. I didn't know what to do. I didn't want to lose my family, but how could I just lie about who I was? I mean, this was a part of me, and they refused to accept it. Parents are supposed to love you unconditionally, and for a while, I thought mine did." At this, Callie's voice cracked a little and she looked back down at her hands. No matter how much time passes, the feeling of rejection from your own parents never really leaves you. "Needless to say, my mother was right there with him, telling me I was going to hell, crying at how she could have done so wrong and how she wasn't going to see her daughter in heaven, it was pretty crazy. They even came up here with a priest to try and sway me to come home and repent. When none of that worked, my dad made good on his threat and cut me off completely. He emptied my bank accounts, dissolved my trust fund, and refused to pay for any more of my school. They all stopped speaking to me." Looking up to see a flash of genuine hurt and sympathy cross blue eyes, Callie forced a small smile to try and lighten the mood. "My sister only at first though. She was really just angry because my parents forced _her_ to go to school in Miami after that, so she stopped speaking to me for about three months, but that was all. She never had any issue with who I was, she was just irritated at how it affected her own life, and I don't blame her for that. We are both busy with school, so we don't talk that much, but we do talk." Her smile turned into a genuine one thinking about how relieved she felt after Aria called her that first time to explain herself. Callie almost cried after Aria called her ridiculous for thinking for a second that she would care if Callie wanted to have a girlfriend and that their father needed to pull his head out of his ass.

Arizona couldn't imagine having to face that kind of rejection from her parents. She broke down into tears at the slightest genuine glare from her own father, but he'd _never_ made her feel genuinely unloved or misunderstood. She could see in Callie's eyes while she told Arizona the story how deeply hurt she felt about her parents denying her and that made Arizona's heart hurt for the Latina, but when that sincere smile crossed deliciously plump lips, Arizona couldn't help her face from reciprocating. "I'm glad you have your sister, and I'm glad you didn't leave." Dimples appeard across Arizona's face as she spread her feet across the couch to wiggle her toes against Callie's. Another wink made the brunette laugh and take a deep breath.

"I'm glad I didn't leave too. The only reason I'm able to stay is because of my Uncle Berto." Another laugh escaped as Callie noticed the confusion spread across Arizona's face. "He uhh…understands what it is to be like me. He's just never had anyone from our family…drop in on him unannounced." Both women giggled at Callie's explanation. "Anyway, he was outraged that my father completely cut me off, so, he continues to pay for my school, and this place, and even though I asked him not to, he made another trust fund in my name."

"He sounds like a wonderful man." Arizona noticed each time Callie mentioned the word 'trust fund', but since the taller woman never actually expanded on that part of the story, she figured it was not something to push, and so she simply ignored it.

Callie could tell Arizona wanted to ask her about the trust fund. She saw a slight twitch in the blonde woman's face every time she'd said it. It seemed like for the moment Arizona was going to let it go, and Callie was grateful to that. She wasn't ready to talk about that part of her family history yet. No matter what people said, it always made them look at her differently. That's why it was always easier being friends with Addison, the redhead knew exactly what it was like.

"He is. He's very good to me, and I am so grateful to have him and my sister. It just…still sucks sometimes." Looking back down to her glass, Callie took a last sip of wine to extinguish the pain in her chest and, placing the glass on the coffee table in front of them, stood up and grabbed the stereo remote. "So that's my family. But I don't want to talk about it anymore. Because I've had enough wine now to make me want to have fun, so…" She grabbed Arizona's hand to help the now adorably smiling woman to her feet. "Let's dance." Turning the remote to the stereo, Callie put on a playlist of fun, upbeat, dance songs for them to hop around and laugh in her living room to.

The two women let the multiple glasses of wine take over and got lost in the music and each other for what seemed like hours. They laughed and moved, touching each other teasingly occasionally. Light touches that started out with no real intention, both simply unable to go more than a few seconds without wanting to touch the other, began to linger longer, grasp stronger. Before either could distinguish who exactly made the decision, and both holding equal blame in actuality, the pair landed heavily on the couch as lips came crashing together. As she straddled the taller woman's lap, Arizona cupped Callie's face as they drove their lips together harder than before. Tan fingers made their way to grip slender hips as Arizona drove her jean covered center over Callie's. Moaning simultaneously at the new friction, both decided to release their kiss to take a much needed breath. Meeting eyes, they shared a silent conversation, both asking, and giving permission to the other. They'd decided to take things slow, for good reasons, but their resolve melted in the heat of the moment and as they looked into darkening eyes, heaving chests touching with each rapid breath they took, neither was about to stop.

Before it went any further, Arizona's cautious mind felt the need for one last reassurance. Tracing a finger down Callie's face, Arizona smiled at the way the woman below her looked at her as she soothingly ran her hands along the blonde's thighs. It wasn't just lust, the darkening color of the beautiful brown orbs gave that away, it was something else. She couldn't place it just yet, but it made her chest swell all the same. "I like you, Calliope. A lot." She didn't know what those words were supposed to do in that moment, but Arizona felt compelled to say them, or anything really, before they took this step.

A smile spread across Callie's face. "I like you too Arizona. So so much." Her smile widened when she was met with hands down _the_ best dimples on the planet.

Arizona could tell Callie's words were the truth, and even though her feelings scared her most of the time, she felt safe with the Latina. And anytime she got to see that megawatt, out of this world smile, she felt weak in the knees. With her insecurities set aside for the moment, Arizona grabbed the bottom of her own shirt, and in a swift motion, lifted it up and over her head, discarding it on the floor beside the couch. Looking down into the stunned face of the gorgeous woman beneath her, Arizona felt herself start to giggle. The giggling threatened to worsen as Callie traced her fingers up the tight, toned expanse of Arizona's stomach until deep blue eyes met the almost black ones below. The look in Callie's eyes as she took in Arizona's topless body made the blonde's mouth run dry.

Callie could barely contain herself, immediately feeling heat from within her as she ran her hands over Arizona's bare stomach, strong muscles contracting with every touch. Callie knew Arizona was inshape. Her small frame in clothing is obviously one that is in shape, but looking at the smaller woman without clothes, Callie realized that Arizona was not simply in shape, but _fit_. _'No wonder she was able to catch me on our first date…' _Callie immediately thought back to how it felt to have Arizona's toned arms wrapped protectively around her, sending her into another spiral of arousal. She reached her hands around to Arizona's back and down to grip a firm ass, driving the small toned body back into her own.

Arizona gasped as Callie maneuvered her body with her hands, and immediately ran her own fingers up into raven hair, pulling plump lips back into her own. Their bodies began to make a rhythm with each other as their kisses deepened. Moaning together, they worked each other up so much that the position they were in no longer provided enough contact.

Breaking apart, almost out of breath completely and flushed, Callie ran her hand across her own face. "Maybe-" Arizona interrupted the brunette with a quick kiss. "We-" _Kiss._ "Should-" _Kiss._ "Go to-" _Kiss. _"My room?"

Arizona answered with one more kiss, pulling on Callie's bottom lip with her teeth. She released it with a pop and stood up from her position. Once she stepped to the side of the couch, the taller woman watching her every move, Arizona reached down and slowly unzipped her pants and expertly pulled them down slightly without letting them fall, revealing light blue and pink boy shorts that matched the bra she'd already put on display. Seeing brown eyes widen with desire, Arizona gave a sexy wink and made her way to the bedroom, leaving an incredibly hot Latina to chase after her. It had been a while, after all, and if they were going to do this, Arizona was going to put her best moves forward.

As soon as Callie gained her wits about her, she was off the couch and down the hall after that perfectly sculpted ass. The way her mind seemed to go blank anytime her lips touched Arizona's, made Callie blissfully crazy. Seeing the sexy look in those blue eyes made Callie's entire body buzz with want. Opening her bedroom door, Callie could have sworn she'd died and gone to heaven. Arizona was lying across her bed, pants discarded, smiling that ridiculously sexy smile and Callie felt her own spring to her face.

"Now I _know_ that you are not the kind of date that leaves a girl almost completely naked by herself." Arizona shook her head teasingly at the tanned goddess in front of her. "I think you should lose the clothes, Calliope." A sexy wink and Arizona could see Callie bring her hand up to her own shirt.

"What…_these _clothes you mean?" Callie arched one eyebrow at the nearly naked angel before her as the blonde wiggled her own in response before pulling her own t-shirt slowly over her head and shimmying out of her shorts.

"Holy…" Arizona's entire repertoire of words failed her as she gazed upon perfection. Callie's flawlessly bronzed body, clad only in a deep purple and black bra with matching panties, was the most amazing sight Arizona had ever seen. There were no word in existence to adequately describe the long legged, dreamily curvy, practically _glowing_ body before her.

A husky laugh fell from the Latina's lips as she took in the awed expression on the smaller woman's face. "See something you like?"

Arizona could only squint her eyes and smirk as one long, devilishly sexy eyebrow arched in her direction. Bringing her hand up slowly, she pointed her index finger, motioning for the brunette to 'come here'. She could feel herself get even more excited as Callie complied and slowly stalked her way up the bed over Arizona's body until they were face to face. Looking up into, now, almost black eyes, Arizona placed her hand on the side of Callie's face. "I see everything I like."

A gasp fell from pink lips as Callie brought her leg to Arizona's center, giving the blonde exactly what her body was craving while on the couch. Before a moan escaped, Callie quickly brought their lips back together, swallowing every sound her rhythmic leg got from the blonde. Both women immediately got lost in each other, the fear and need to take things slow paled in comparison to their need at that moment. Once their bodies were on each other, skin on skin, it was all over. The pure electricity they felt with each movement wasn't anything either could ignore. When Callie stopped herself for a second and sat up, Arizona almost whined in protest until she saw the taller woman smile and reach behind herself to remove the item restraining her breast and toss it to the floor. Arizona could feel her center immediately heat even more as she brought her hands up to cup two more things she liked. No, _loved_. Callie's breasts were definitely something Arizona loved. Callie smiled and brought herself back down and, bracing herself with hands on either side of Arizona's head, continued with her movements.

"Shit..." Arizona could feel herself getting closer, but still she wanted more. Without breaking their kiss, she slowly brought one hand down the caramel body moving above her, grazing her fingers down a bare chest, until they came to the last piece of clothing left on Callie's body. Feeling Callie move her legs farther apart in her kneeling position, making space for a hand between them, Arizona gladly accepted the invitation and dipped her hand past the panty line and in to cup Callie's sex. The Latina bucked against Arizona's hand as she ran one finger up wet folds and teased at an already excited clit.

Callie lowered her hips both to feel more of Arizona's hand on her and so she could continue to drive herself into Arizona's center. Both women gasped as their arousal continued to build, the air beginning to fill with the aroma of their mixing scents. Bracing herself on one hand, Callie brought her other between them and began her own exploration of Arizona's arousal. Using her leverage and position, and the fact that Arizona was already dripping wet, Callie had no problem taking two fingers and sliding them inside, moaning with Arizona as the blonde did the same thing with her own fingers. Callie began to ride Arizona's hand while straddling her thigh so she could use her hips to drive her own fingers deeper into the blonde. The sight of the bronzed beauty above her and the feel of two strong fingers within her was almost more than the blonde could handle. Her hips bucked along with Callie's, both desperately wanting more contact. The two quickly regained a rhythm and within minutes, after both yelled cries of sweet release, they collapsed on each other, a tangle of limbs, and tried to catch their breath.

"That was…" Callie could barely take in enough air through ragged breaths to form words.

"Yeah…I know…" Arizona's head was still spinning, her body tingling after having such a breathtakingly beautiful woman grinding on top of her.

Callie shifted so she was lying next to Arizona, one arm draped across a fair midsection, lightly caressing her sides. Breathing deeply, Arizona felt her whole body relax as all the scents of Callie consumed her. Neither knew what else to say, and both were content with their post-coital silence. It wasn't uncomfortable or pregnant with unspoken words, but easy and peaceful, both lost in their own genuine feelings of happiness.

It didn't take long for both women to fall asleep, wine and orgasms usually doing it pretty quickly for each of them. Too worn out to bother with caring how the other slept, they soon became intertwined with each other, falling into a deeper sleep than either had in some time.

* * *

**Sorry my updates are so sporadic! Work is almost literally killing me and unfortunately, this must take a back seat :(. That being said, this update took longer than expected because I had a liiiittle bit of trouble getting it written. I hope that didn't show, and I hope you all like it. Like always, I appreciate feedback, and also, if anyone has any ideas, send them my way! I'm always trying to figure out where this should go next, but with my time and mind being so filled with other things, it's not so easy sometimes :) **


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